


Secret Saint

by acidflapjack



Category: Saints Row
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-20 05:17:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3638199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acidflapjack/pseuds/acidflapjack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a struggling Reporter is given an assignment that involves the leader of the saints a sequence of events are set in place that change his life. But does he really want to go where this story is taking him<br/>(Set in the timeline of saint's row 2/beginning of saint's row 3)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

One

When I was first given this assignment, truthfully? I was annoyed. I was given it out of spite I was sure about that. I had risen high through the journalism ranking after lucking out with the war and being able to travel for long times through different countries without needing to return. But when returning to civilian story telling I had begun bombing out on several assignments missing deadlines and missing briefs until I was lower than the low and something about reporting bake sales and 90 year old marathon runners just bored me. But now the editor was itching to get rid of me, so on a drizzly Monday morning my boss came in to my office with what can only be described as a cruel smile  
“Dan, we need you to research something”  
With that he dumped a thin file on my desk and left. I have never felt my heart sink that low before.  
They wanted me to find out the history of the most notorious gang leader.  
I was meant to find out about the leader of the Third street saints

How I usually research is take the person’s name, birth date, and place of birth. Then you know you are researching the right person but no one knew his name and on one knew his age and it was a guess that he was raised in stilwater, so I had only one advantage and that was everyone knew him. So I sent messages to my informants in stilwater the first message came back almost instantly  
“Careful, could be dangerous. He’s dangerous”  
“More money for information” I replied  
That kept a few of my more desperate team happy but the ones that had something to live for simply declined. With one or two leads out I did my usual and uncovered the basics and the things everyone knew  
He was brought into the saints as a fresh recruit with no gang history and quickly rose through the gang’s standing as he helped them remove the three ruling gangs till the gang owned the entire island city of stilwater; removing The los Canales, The Rollers and The Vice kings (The gang that the leader Julius was meant to of been separated from) loosing one of there own lieutenants as well as hip hop star Ayesha. By the time the smoke had cleared the saints ruled the city and he was second in command and Julius’ right hand man. But they didn't live happily ever after.  
Shortly after the saints took over the city something happened in the group and there was a plot to kill the man who became the leader of the saints. As always what they lacked in subtly they made up for on impact as they blew up the boat that he was on at the time  
I did a little snooping into the events that transpired on the boat but nothing was found due to an over eager injunction from high up but what we do know is that their was an attempt on his life that led to him being put in a coma for several years in which time without leaders the gang dropped their flags as one by one the lieutenants went their separate ways and with notorious killer Johnny Gat arrested no one was left to keep them together and the last disappeared and soon the saints were nothing but history  
Or at least till he woke up  
Within hours of his recovery and rehabilitation he was free from his bed and the prison that held him  
It is hard to believe that someone so well know is still such a mystery but there you have it  
Nothing I could tell you  
Until I got a phone call

I was working late trying to winkle any information from the records obtained from stilwater hospital where he was reported to have been treated for injuries when my phone rang as first my heart sank  
“Here goes. I better just pack everything up” I thought to myself  
“You the one asking about the saints?” A female voice asked. She had a British accent which made me stop a little  
“No. I'm not getting fired, someone’s gonna shot me from a nearby window” I corrected myself silently but instead I simply said  
“Yes”  
The line was silent and I thought she had gone. I had the urge to hide under my desk  
“Do you have information about them?” I tried coaxing her  
“About the leader, Yeah” She said softly  
“No offence miss but. I need to check your not a wacko, How do you know him?” I asked carefully  
“Check your emails”  
I opened my emails to find a fresh unopened mail  
My heart thumped against my ribs and my mouth went dry. It was a self taken picture of the leader of the saints with his feet up on a table. He was a big guy, tall and muscular but thin there wasn't much bulk just mass, with short tidy black hair and stubble but there was something in his pale blue eyes that made me more than a little disturbed. There was a women standing behind. Both were smiling into the camera but his did look somewhat … forced as if the idea amused him but he was doing it because she asked  
“Can we meet?” I ask softly  
“Check the photo isn't doctored and trace the call and IP address and I’ll call again in a week”  
With that the phone went dead

“Did you check it?” She said the moment I picked up the phone  
She wasn't the chatty type that’s for sure, I had and everything looked good it had been the longest week of my life followed by sitting at my desk staring at the phone  
“I would have believed you” I said trying to win her over and maybe melt the icy tone in her voice  
“Now you know I'm not bullshitting you. I want to know why you’re asking about him.”  
“I’ve been asked to write about him” I said plainly  
The line went silent for a moment before she said  
“If you come to stilwater I will meet you”  
It was my turn to be silent for a moment  
“I can be there tomorrow”  
The phone went dead again and I had to catch a red eyes from Steelport to Stilwater

I had never been to Stilwater but I know it was an island city just of the coast connected to the mainland by an ancient ferry service and an airport. I was told it had a high violence, most was gang related but it meant it wasn't exactly a holiday spot. So when I stepped out of the airport I was surprised to see it was... normal  
Cars driving sensibly along the road, incomprehensible PA announcements and people going about their business. Not a chase scene to be dodged or a bullet fired. But there was a full customized purple and black phoenix parked a little way down the road it had completely blacked out windows and looked so menacing I wanted to walk away but the single flash made me swallow and move closer till I was reaching to get in  
At first I was amazed by her demeanour. She was defiantly the women in the photo even with the thick jacket and glasses I could see that, but she was harsh and cold and at the same time soft in a sad way. She waved for me to get in but before I could speak we were driving off. I have never been great with cars so when the car lurched from parked to full speed in seconds. My stomach lurched and I closed my eyes grabbing onto my single duffel bag  
“Where are you staying?” She asked suddenly  
I dared to open my eyes and watched the free-way slip by  
“Uh….” I said before suddenly realising how idiotic my assumption had been  
Most the time I am either put up by the people I interview or they arrange something but that is when I am invited. And technically she never invited me just said that if I was to come to this city she would talk to me  
“Didn't book anywhere” I admitted  
She seemed nervous watching behind as we dodged through traffic at alarming speed  
“Probably get you in at the airport. Least then if something goes wrong you don’t have far to run”  
Fear shot through me but I had dealt with killers before and as of yet she hadn't threatened me. Just joked about it. We cut across two lanes and slowed coming off the ramp giving my nerves a rest bite  
“Nice car” I tried  
She turned back onto the opposite ramp and carefully manoeuvred it through the wide sweeping ramp before swinging into a lane and gunning the engine  
“It’s got its flaws” She said  
“Like what?” I prompted  
“Top gear is ruined, track rods on the point of going, brakes are getting soft due to them being under power for the engine size and torque and the accelerator is messed up due to the modifications it’s had”  
It seemed car talk was the way to get her to open up  
“Previous owner do that?”  
She smiled and to my surprise it was warm and welcoming  
“Yeah you could say that. Most the damage he did was driving it at top speed all the damn time”  
Connections started in my head  
“This is his car?”  
She nodded  
“Bingo baby” She sighed “He … left it with me.”  
“Aren't you worried you’ll get stopped?”  
We were heading back to the airport and towards a large glass tower block hotel  
“In stilwater the police are more likely to shoot than to arrest but my concerns are the saints seeing it”  
We pulled into an underground parking complex and she found a dark corner to park  
“Why don’t you…”  
She got out the car and waited, I took the hint but she made sure as I got out she simply locked the car and started walking  
“Just wait till were in OK?”  
I nodded and took the opportunity to truly look at her. She was shorter than I expected but average height for a women maybe 5’6” maybe 5’7” with chestnut hair that skimmed the bottom or her shoulder blades. She was curvaceous but with muscle and bone structure a girl who had curves and knew it, her facial features were strong her jaw and chin especially  
There was a hardness to her that seemed cold and detached which at first glance would make me think she was an ice queen but you could feel a warmer side to her, I couldn't see that coming through any time soon  
  
The room paid for and my measly possessions tucked away we settled down and I set up. Thankfully the digital age meant I only needed a digital recorder and a pile of USB memory sticks to save too, but even that seemed fiddly to her as she watched in silent impatience. Finally I was ready and she settled down to talk

“ **Shall we start with the basics? What is your name?”**

“For this lets just go with LW” She said

I nodded and made a note

“ **For ease you mind me calling you** Elly?”

“As long as it’s off the record”

I nodded and she lit a cigarette and watched me with cold eyes

“ **What do you do for a living?”**

I’m a consultant, I help businesses and individuals deal with the gangs in this city, tell them how to be less of a target, deal with protection money and if need be help them get the best case against the Saints and their lawyers

“ **Not really the same as the mob. Kind of makes it a little more, day to day?”**

It’s how it is. For the Saints to work within the city and stop the law being forced to do anything about them the Saints take protection money from the shops, A percentage of which is paid to the police. Sometimes one of the gang will muck up or leave wiggle room within the law. I help them take advantage of it if they want to and to keep them quiet the lawyers simply give a pay off from the Saint’s money. Helps keep businesses going and keeps people happy with the Saints

“ **How do you know the leader of the Third streets saints?”**

She smiled and let out a lung full of smoke

“I married him”

It took me a few moments to pick myself up from her response and she waited patiently. I suddenly had a thousand questions for her but the biggest being…

“ **Why?”**

Before I could stop myself the words were out and it just amused her more

“Even Johnny Gat fell in love” She sighed

“So why are you talking to me about this?”

This made her stop she must of known I would question her motives she seemed to be considering her answer  
  
“With him getting more and more known, and with his recent disappearance and reappearance in Steelport. It would only be a matter of time before it was found out that he was married. You’re not the only one who has tried to find out about him. You’re just the first I have approached. I know about the work you did in the war and figured you could handle him. He’ll most likely bury it again but if it comes to the attention of the Saints it might cause a… Shock wave though them that are operating in stilwater and I don’t want to be caught up in that. I would rather have my side of the story on record”  
  
“ **So you’re not part of the gang?”**

“No”

She put out what was left of her cigarette and let the smoke out through her nostrils

“ **How about we start at the beginning? How did you meet him?”**

She watched the view from the window and her demeanour softened a little

“I was working at impressions clothing as a till girl at the time only been in town about a year. I had heard of the Saints but it was a folk tale there climb to fame and power and then like some fable their power was destroyed by the people who made it. Shortly after they disappeared and different gangs moved in. Was a nice easy time give protection money to who ever took over the patch you lived or worked in and don’t go out at night and avoid area’s with sirens, and if you heard sirens go the other way. I meet him before the rise to fame before they took on the gangs. News he was awake come through and most just had the comment  
“I thought he died”  
Then the next thing I knew it happened. I was driving home and it was raining I remember going to stop at a red light and took the opportunity to get my cigarettes, and turn on the radio  
We had been following the trial of Gat at work but I had missed the verdict. I guessed they would kill him but I figured I should listen  
“The former leader of the Saints was the implementer of the escape. It seems no one was able to stop the two as both men left the court in a hail of gun fire”  
I went to pull off from the lights when ‘Bam’ a man slammed a Kenshin motorbike into my cars right wheel, all hell broke loose as police closed in on us. I went to get out when my door opened and there he was. The crash had cut his forehand and messed up his arm  
“Get out!” He shouted pointing a gun into my face  
He was alone which made me think he was running away after splitting up from Gat and it seemed I had the misfortune to come across him… literally  
“Get in” I simply said  
The first bullet whizzed by his head and he gripped the trigger  
“There less likely to drive you off the road if you have a hostage” I blurted out  
This made him stop for a spit second before diving into the car over me and into the passenger foot well making sure they saw him hold a gun to my head before we drove off. We drove to forgive and forget and he was able to bribe the police before they could take him down.”

“ **Then what?” I urged**

“Then nothing. I drove him to my house he was shouting all kind of instructions and I simply told him no  
“Fuck you say” He demanded  
“I’m driving to mine then you can have the damn car” I told him firmly it worked  
So I drove to my house and gave him the car”  
  
“ **You gave him the car?”** I asked with a frown

“It would have cost more to fix then I paid for it and I had good insurance. You don’t live in stilwater and not be insure against car jacking”

“ **So that was it?”**

“For that day. yes. I went home drank some beer, watched the news report, fielded questions from my friends on the phone and slept till the morning. But by the time morning came round I found something out.”

“ **What?”**

“He hadn't left, just parked up across from the building. I went to get my mail to see my still ruined car parked across the street at the Cantonese restaurant and for a moment I thought he had abandoned it and left on foot until I saw movement in the car.”

“ **What did you do?”**

“Went up to my place and locked the door. I had the day off so I simply stayed home”

“ **Why didn't you call the police?”**

“And say what? Or worse prove to him that I can’t be trusted and have him kill me the moment he got out on bail? I didn’t want either so I simply kept watch on him till finally he made a move. He got out of the car and started to jog over the road and to the building. He stopped and started to casually climb the stairs. I figured he was coming to kill me. I had seen his face and so he was going to do what he should have done yesterday and shoot me.”

“ **So?”**

“So I opened the front door and went to sit in my front room. If he was going to do it then I wanted to throw him off balance. He had spent most of the day sitting in the car which meant it wasn’t his first choice. If Mickey wanted you dead he just did it”

Excitement shot through me

“ **Is that his name? Michael?”**

“That’s what I called him. And he let me”

Disappointment followed

“ **You don’t even know his name?”** I asked defeated

She shook her head

“I asked him a few times and he said who he was before the saints wasn’t who he was now and who he was with the saint wasn’t who he was with me so what was the point of naming any of it”

“ **So he lost every part of his past?”**

“He would mention things and I have my theories. But he went to great lengths to be hidden from his past. Did you know he didn’t have any fingerprints? Apparently some fruits acids can burn them off over time like pineapples. But I doubt that’s what happened to him. You can also remove them with a skin graft; it was why the police had hard time tracing him”  
I didn’t prompt just watched her light another cigarette and shift position  
“He hadn’t come to kill me. Or at least that wasn’t his first intention I heard him walk along the external walk way and stopped he hadn’t expected the doorway to be open but he stepped into the opening but not in the house. He looked so unsure of the situation as he lingered he had patched himself up the best he could but his arm was pretty busted up  
“Can I help?” I asked from my seat if he was going to kill me it was on my terms. I would be in charge of the situation; I had even gone to the trouble of getting a deck of cards out and pretending to play solitaire  
“Why did you?” He demanded.  
His tone was so angry but it was a defensive. It wasn’t true anger. It was fear.  
“Because I didn’t want to get shot” I said plainly “And it was raining, didn’t fancy getting run over by the cops in the rain”  
With that I stood and he tensed his hand twitching for the back of his trousers. I’m pretty sure he would have killed me for sneezing, he was close to feral standing there this situation was so unfamiliar to him people talking and being civil  
“If I were you I would come in” I offered  
My place was tiny everything but the toilet was open plan and so he could see me as I went to the kitchen and opened the cupboard  
“What you reaching for?” He demanded  
I produced a medical kit and walked back to my chair he had moved into the room and closed the door but was lingering by it  
“You can patch yourself up” I offered before sitting down  
“No” He simply said “I just, needed to know”  
“Why did you need to know?” I asked watching him  
“Because no one…” He stopped himself and moved further into the room  
“Because no one has done it before?” I asked softly  
He ran his hand along the back of my sofa and nodded before the walls slammed back up around his personality  
“Was a stupid thing, could have killed you” He spat  
I didn’t reply he wanted a fight to justify something to himself but I wasn’t going to give it to him  
“Why don’t you sit down” I said with a sigh  
I fetched a couple of beers and put one next to the box and he relaxed slightly  
“Why did you open the door?” He moved to sit down and took the beer  
“I saw you coming and I figured you were coming here to shoot me. Didn’t see the sense of making you break the door”  
“So you know who I am?” He asked with a little amusement in his voice  
“No. I don’t” I simply said “I know why you’re famous but I don’t know who you are”  
This made him stop and for a moment we watched each other. He seemed relaxed enough that I could move without him tensing so I moved over to sit on the coffee table  
He watched me with hard eyes as he gave another smile that didn’t quiet reach them  
“What are you planning?” He said his eyes suggesting his thoughts were more of an adult nature than before, I think it was more of a tactic to get me defensive and when I didn’t bite, I think it annoyed him somewhat. I took out some salves and bandages and out the corner of the eye I watched him go still  
“I just want to check the head wound” I said softly  
“It’s stopped bleeding, why bother” He shrugged  
I leant forwards and touched his forehead, his head jerked back and he shifted a little  
“Did I hurt you?” I asked softly  
He snorted and lent forwards  
“Take more to hurt me” he said  
I shrugged  
“Then hold still” I said as if scolding a child  
He downed the beer and lent forward as he let his gaze drop. I cleaned out the wound and worked on his hand nothing was badly damaged and it was easy to disinfect the cuts and scrapes. The entire time he just sat still with his eyes watching the floor.  
“I know what the news says you are but I don’t know you”  
He didn't move or even register I had talked  
“I doubt you’re simply a homicidal maniac or you would have just shot me without a second thought for the car. So no I don’t know you and unless you let me I never will”  
I let his hand drop and he came alive again he leapt to his feet and started going to the door  
“I've got some things to do” He grunted before reaching for the door  
“What should I call you?” I called  
“What do you want you call me?” He said at the doorway  
I looked him up and down  
“Mike” I said  
“Then you can call me that”  
With that he offered me a gentle smile before he was gone


	2. Chapter 2

Two

 

he stood and paced the room breaking the spell as she did so. I didn’t want to speak just listen to her story. But I guessed she wanted to find another starting point so I cleared my throat and shifted my position  
 **“Did you know what he was capable of then?”**  
“Oh yes, I knew exactly what he was capable of. He didn’t just turn up to talk to me. I’m still convinced that he came up there that evening to kill me. To just shoot me for standing up to him or just showing him kindness”  
 **“But why didn't he?”**  
“Because he expected that he would be in charge and it threw him through a loop. Or he just changed his mind I don’t know but he didn’t and a week later he showed up at the shop”

**“What happened?”**  
  
“He came in, brought a pair of jeans and boots and went to leave  
“Is that everything?” I asked trying to keep professional  
“For now. When do you finish?” He asked pulling the tags off the clothes and heading for the door  
“In an hour” I called  
He didn't even acknowledge that he had heard as he walked out, but as I headed for the bus at the end of my shift there he was.

**“In your car?”**

“No he had a bike again”

**“Stolen?”**

“I didn't ask but the keys were in the ignition. Sometimes he brought cars and bikes. I stopped walking and turned to look at him as he rolled the bike behind me  
“I thought you would keep away from bikes?” I said with a smile  
“As I recall you drove into me” He said returning the smile  
He was in a good mood and that meant someone’s day was ruined but with his short black hair and ice blue eyes and that gregarious smile you didn't think about stuff like that. He was charming and when he was in a good mood he was damn near irresistible. I’ve been told by plenty of people that it was a case of Stockholm syndrome where I “Fell for my captor” but this is based on the idea that the first encounter on the crossroads was a hostage situation. No one forced me to get on the bike and no one forced me to invite him in when we pulled up outside my house. He was about to say something when his phone rang  
“Rain check?” I asked  
He answered the phone and listened the whole time watching me  
“Alright, I’ll be there” He simply said before hanging up  
“Catch you later” He said with a smile  
The two of us stopped awkwardly before I broke it off. I put my hand on his arm I was about to say something when he looked at the hand, he winced a little and moved the bike out the way before speeding off leaving me standing there

**“How long till you saw him again?”**

“A matter of hours but when he came back he was annoyed, his knuckles were scraped up and his jeans were covering in mud and what I hoped wasn't blood but most likely was. When he walked passed me there was a slight smell of gunpowder.  
Something had gone wrong and I had to admit for the first time I was scared of him. He didn't threaten me or hurt me but I could tell he was looking for a fight. I never gave him one but that time he was close. He knocked hard on the door and the moment I opened the latch he came in and started pacing  
“A couple of washed up has been’s” He snarled as he went past  
“What?” I asked with a frown  
He spun round and looked at me as if determining if I was a threat  
“Nothing” He snapped  
“What happened?” I asked  
I learnt early on that sympathy and bargaining didn’t work with Mikey. Show him sympathy and he got angry at you like he hated the idea of him being a victim. No the only way to treat him in that mood was firm but none aggressive that was the evening I learnt that. It’s not like he hit me. Never once did he raise a hand to me... A gun a couple of times but never did he hit me. But when he was wound up he was vulnerable in some ways and he hated that fact  
“Just relax” I tried soothing him and he nearly growled at me  
“I am” He snapped  
“Well how about we just sit around and have a beer?” I asked coldly  
“Can’t sit right now” He declared  
“Why not?” I demanded  
“Because!” He snarled before stopping himself  
“Why not?” I asked again a little quieter but keeping the authority  
“Because I'm pissed” He snapped the anger was a little less but that meant he was just a normal pissed off person  
He finally took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. It was strange, from the beginning we clicked. I had only met him a couple of times at that point but… we worked. I never felt like he was a stranger  
“Can you do anything about the problem now?” I asked  
I was in the kitchen looking for the bottle opener and had my back to him  
“No” He replied  
I jumped and turned round to see him standing behind me. The jump made him smile as he reached to get the beer  
“Why are you so interested in me?” I asked softly. I needed to know why someone like him would even be here talking to me.  
“A few reasons” He said softly  
He reached past me to the bottle opener, it meant he leant closer. I took the moment in, he was warm against me and he smelt of just pure testosterone and adrenaline…. They don’t really have a smell but on a sub level, the pheromones, they make you react. It made something primeval in me stir as I turned my back to him, to get the bottle opener he pressed against me and took it out of my hand before he stepped back  
“One of them isn't your beer choice” He joked  
“Hey maybe if I knew what you wanted... Maybe purple beer?”  
He thought for a minute and nodded  
“Now that thought has potential”  
Something in his mood shifted and he was thinking over an idea  
“What date is it?” He suddenly asked  
I pointed the bottle to the calendar and tapped the rim of the neck on the date as I passed with him following. He seemed satisfied; more than satisfied he laughed softly and nodded. That night we watched Bobby and Amber and Fuzz as we chatted about what we liked and what was on TV leaning about each other before he left and I went to bed”

**“So you were friends?”**

She frowned and shook her head  
“That night I realised how easy it would be to fall for him. When he was in a good mood he was charming as much as you could find him charming. He was funny, but had a real dark sense of humour something we had in common. I got the feeling he pretended to be dumb or uneducated but he was well read. He loved the classic books; more than once I found him reading my books when I came home. I think he found me fascinating. The whole evening he would ask me questions and I got the impression that every answer was being listened to and remembered”

**“Do you think he fell for you?”**

“Not then. I didn't touch him or show any affection to begin with. He didn't seem to understand it like trying to pet a guard dog, you would get the impression he wanted to pull away most the time. Later on; when he tried it was domineering as if he didn't know the difference”  
“How often did you see him?”  
“It wasn't long before I heard about the shoot out at the caverns. With him and the cops and then of the brotherhood and the gangs trucks being blown to hell. He would turn up at my place at all hours but I expected it most nights I would just leave the door unlocked and he would slip in and sleep on the sofa. And once or twice when it got very cold he would sleep on the bed under the blankets I would wake when he moved onto the bed and I would simply move over to let him on the bed, a couple of times he was shivering so much I would curl up next to him. He would just lay still until he was warm enough then I would move away again and fall asleep listening to him sleeping next to me.  
He liked mine. He explained that day and night people would swing by his place but because technically it was a gang property, not his own he was never alone so he would come to mine to disappear but even through this he never once tried anything more than existing together, he loved drive through food and would often bring freckle bitches over, either that or coffee without asking or telling me he would turn up with it and pretend it was all for him and it was an excuse to muck around in a way he was comfortable with play fighting or just joking. I have to admit those days I would spend most my lunch brake at the gym. Little did I know just how attached he felt to me. Not till the night Carlos died.  
You remember what the papers said? That a gang member had died? He had strayed too close to brotherhood territory and had been picked up, tortured and shot?  
  
I simply nodded to her and she carried on  
  
By the time I got home that night he was already there. At first I thought he had used it as a bolt hole and I was going to give him hell for bringing his business to me. I had been out with friends and had got back late from drinking to find him in the dark. He had wedged himself into a corner with a 40oz and was just sitting there  
Fear ran thought me as I watched him. This wasn't normal but then again the man I think of and what history describes seem to be totally different to the point they seemed to be two different people at times  
“You know I don’t mind you turning on the lights” I said  
“I know” He simply whispered  
He moved and I saw what was in his other hand. He was holding his pistol  
The fear intensified as I sat next to him  
“What happened?” I asked. He hadn't been there long I could still feel the dampness in his clothes  
“I let him down” He said “No. I didn't… I pulled him in too quickly and it got him killed”  
“Who?”  
He took a finishing pull on the 40 and let it roll across the room, he had drunk the lot and I got the impression it wasn't his first. In his own time he told me how he was the one to steal the radioactive waste. He used it against Maero and for revenge he had kidnapped Carlos and dragged him through the docks. By the time he got to him Carlos was barely alive and mangled beyond help. He had no choice even if help had come in time and even if they had managed to save him the boy would have been too messed up to function properly again. I listened and I wrapped my arm round his and held his hand with both of mine. I don’t know if it was the beer or what but he was calmer. Less tense, just sad and dejected. We sat for a moment and slowly he moved to lean his head on my shoulder. I didn't move scared he would pull away again, until he had been there for a few seconds before I moved my arm along his shoulder  
“What you gonna do now?” I asked softly  
I meant about the brotherhood and Carlos but either he thought otherwise or didn't want to answer. He put down the gun and kissed me. He tasted of blood and beer and he was rough when he kissed, his hand grabbing my hips as he silently moved me to where he wanted me to be.  
When I woke up in the morning he was sitting on the couch spinning his gun through his finger guard. I was happy to see the magazine was sitting upright on the table in front of him. He was deep in thought and my thoughts went to darker places I was scared he had regretted it that his drinking had clouded his judgement. I got up, pulled on a t-shirt and walked over to him.  
“You want something to eat?” I asked softly  
He didn’t speak just shook his head. I gently ran my fingers along his shoulders and he momentarily leant into the touch before slamming his gun on the coffee table, he had bought it down perfectly over the magazine the slam doubled by the click of the magazine hitting home. It was so sudden it made me jump and for the first time since I found him I saw him smile a little  
“Hey no loud noises till I've had coffee” I said giving him a light slap on his shoulder  
“I can’t stay much longer” He suddenly said as I went to get coffee  
“That’s fine” I said with a little shrug “But Bobby and Amber is on soon”  
He didn't say anything I just heard the TV switch on  
“You really need a bigger TV Maybe a fiddy inch flat screen” He called  
“And what would I do with that?” I laughed “It’s the same picture. Plus if I had one that big I would have to sit in the kitchen to watch it”  
I came to sit with him and for a moment it was awkward he was still upset, annoyed but he was trying to hide it. I shifted to put my legs over his lap and he gently rested his hand on my thigh and gave me a smile, just a twitch on the side of the mouth a curl of the lips. The show started and we settled into watch when his mobile rang. He growled softly and reached for the phone. I was close enough to hear the conversation  
“Hey boss”  
“Shaundi, I’m watching Bobby and Amber. Can it wait?”  
“Not really Maero’s girlfriend just walked into the bank”  
He looked over at me and I pretended to be watching the TV and blowing on my coffee  
“I’ll be right over”  
He hung up the mobile and I turned to him  
“I gotta go” He said his mood had shifted yet again but I wouldn't say it was a good shift  
I moved my legs and smiled to him. For a moment he hesitated before leaning over and kissing my cheek  
“Tell me what happens” He said softly before getting up and heading out”

She stopped talking to take a drink and light another cigarette. It was approaching midday and I was wishing there was something to eat. My stomach growled in agreement and she raised an eyebrow at me

“Hungry?” She asked  
Sheepishly I nodded. In her own way she was scary and I had to wonder was she and him right for each other because opposites attract or because they were the same  
“I could get room service, do you want anything?”  
She thought and nodded  
“What every your getting will be fine”  
I nodded and accessed the little smart panel and ordered two burgers and fry’s

**“How did you feel about his behaviour?”** I asked dropping the order onto my tab

“To the gangs?” She asked pacing the room “With his reputation he would be dead in prison long before the courts killed him. Put it together with the fact that Maero approached him I think he looked at his options and to fight was the only option left to him”  
I went to sit by her and watched her for a moment  
“And what about the innocent lives? What about Jessica?”  
“Mickey wasn't perfect and I never pretended he was. Jessica was a rich bitch whose daddy invested in oil, not even the guy who goes and finds it just the man who bought some of the equipment or something, she came to stilwater and got in with the biggest guy she could find. She thought it would mean she could bully and push people about. All those TV specials about her being a victim of Gang violence, they left out the other facts. That it was her idea to string up Carlos, that she was the one to call Mickey and threaten him. She might as well have put the chains on herself she stood in Mickey’s way. If she had just stayed on the side lines she never would have had a scratch but he was fiercely loyal of his gang and for all of his faults none seemed to be of his doing. He was a victim of his history. He never told me directly but I managed to piece a few things together  
He had a brother when he was younger or a cousin. He was someone close who he couldn’t protect. I don’t know if they are dead or just estranged but be didn't mention them more then once or twice and mainly just before he went to sleep. He would talk and sometimes you could find small facts about him. I’m convinced he left an abusive father and uncle and a completely passive mother to join the military. The only place he could go where he would be trained to fly planes and attack heli’s  
It wouldn't surprise me if he was thrown out almost as soon as he was trained”

**“I would be surprised a person such as him could be kept in a military environment”**

I winced internally I had allowed my opinions be known as she was letting down her guard. This could be a fatal error  
“Mickey was focused when he wanted to be, plus the man that is the face of the saints now isn't the same twenty something that started as a new recruit. According to the people who knew him he barely spoke and just followed orders. Something that made me think he was used to just taking orders. There a lot about his early days in Ben kings autobiography  
The other theory I had was his father raised him in some paramilitary survivalist wet dream all target training, bow hunting and flight simulations. but I suspect the reason he didn't have a home when he first came back to stilwater all those years ago was either because he was fresh out of the military and had nothing but the clothes on his back or he had finally broke away from his family and had nothing because he was forced to leave it. He was always someone that if he wanted something didn't stop until he was happy… or someone was dead”  
  
I couldn't believe she just accepted this fact he was a cold blooded psychopath but maybe she didn't see that side of him maybe she knew something no one else did. I suspected she had injured bird syndrome as I called it, a women who saw someone broke beyond repair but tries to help anyway. Usually they end up getting beaten on for years before they either admit they were wrong or they die from injuries. The other idea was that it was the same as the women who marry death-row inmates and tell the world that their sorry for what they did and that everyone should work to free their mass murdering hubby. Or maybe she really did see something no one else saw in him

**“How did you feel when you read the stories in the newspaper about what he did?”**

“When the turf war with the brotherhood was going on no one really knew it was the saints that were doing it. There was rumours but nothing solid… it wasn't till he robbed the Ronin casino that the first proof came out and that was when it got bad. But how did I feel about the stories? I didn’t feel anything. I didn't feel sorry for the people or happy for what he did. I read them because he didn't always tell me what he was doing or what was going on and to be truthful it didn't seem like the same person. The man who did these things didn't seem to be the same Mickey that came to my house with junk food to sit on the sofa with me. I think that’s what he meant by keeping his name separate. Keep them as two different men

**“You said he pulled a gun on you?”**

“A couple of times. The first was a reflex. We had fallen asleep but he had a bad dream. I woke as he was thrashing and close to hitting me but when I woke him he mistook me for someone… a threat maybe and he pulled a gun on me. He put the barrel against my forehead his lips in a snarl  
  
 **“What did you do?”**

“Same thing I always did when someone pulls a gun on me. I froze and let him calm down. The metal pushed into my flesh but as his eyes started to focus and he relaxed his grip and dropped the gun  
“Shit” he said softly running his thumb along my forehead checking he hadn't made a bruise “I didn't mean to….” He sighed  
With that we laid back down, he gently pulled me into his arms and whispered apologies into my ear before sleep took him again

**“And the second time?”**

“When I met Gat” She said with a smile


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

The next day and she was at my door early I had spent the afternoon and evening writing up the conversation from yesterday and had very little sleep and what was more annoying was she seemed more than refreshed as she lent on the door-frame. She was wearing shades and he hair up it seemed today she was in a good mood. After we had spoken; she had left quickly after she had taken a call. I guessed it was a client or a boss as she headed out she promised to return tomorrow but hadn't given a time. I had assumed mid to late afternoon and had stayed up late to get my notes done up so it was a slight shock to get a phone call from the desk saying I had a guest  
“You look tired” She said  
“Couldn't sleep”  
“How about we go get breakfast?” She almost sung  
I couldn't help but smile and nod  
“Sounds like a plan”  
I was desperate for her to carry on the story for her to talk but it seemed she was making me work for it. We returned to the black and purple phoenix and I hesitantly got in but today we pulled carefully into traffic and moved along with it. Silently she drove and it made me think she wanted to say something. My mind went to the possibility she had changed her mind and she was going to drop me off at the airport or… Or the saints had found out and there was a bullet waiting for me or worst  
  
“ **Did he ever get you to shoot anyone?”** I asked hoping she didn’t guess the motives behind me asking

She laughed softly as we pulled into a café  
“Never” She simply said  
  
We went in and ordered and she watched the car for a moment before she turned her attention to me  
“He kept me totally separate from that world and I am still trying to keep it that way”  
  
“ **Why is that?”** I asked gently

“I think to begin with he was going to recruit me, make me a lieutenant but I think he didn't want me to be in that side of his life. I think he wanted me to be a new part of him and for a month he had just that. He would come and go and I never asked about where he went mainly because I didn't want to know. I read and heard the news and when the saints took the fight to the brotherhood then it was hard to ignore it.  
He was pretty damn beaten up that time. He had been fighting and it was a hard fight; he would turn up with bruises and cuts and the odd freshly relocated joints but nothing like this. He had broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder together with a pretty nasty head wound. I was amazed he didn't have more broken bones or major injuries when he told me how they had happened. I had to fetch him that time; he had managed to walk away from the fight and away from the saints but had collapsed in a disused train cart. I found his car parked and drove it round to the tracks to find him wedged in the corner hugging his side  
“Got ya-self messed up a little didn't you?” I asked softly  
“Would seem that way wouldn't it” He said with a soft laugh  
Shock of what he had put his body through was setting in and he was shaking making the pain worst. I couldn't hold his arm over my shoulder on one side because of the dislocation and I couldn't support him on the other side because of the ribs so all I could do was walk with him and each time he stumbled let him grab me. It was hard not to let him fall and by the end I had bruises on my shoulders and arms from the sheer impact of his weight. We got to the car and I wound back the passenger seat so he was lying down on his back. I took him to the hospital and he refused to get out  
“Just take me to yours…. Please. I can fix myself up” he said softly. I would have argued but he took my hand. He was in pain and I knew if he went in there the police would come. I looked into his eye as he was desperately trying to keep calm just short of begging me  
So I drove him back and watched him put his shoulder back in, he took his belt tied his wrist and elbow down wrapping it round a pillar. He grit his teeth and moved his body till there was the sound of bone grinding on bone, a loud pop and he shouted in pain. I helped him out of the belt and I strapped up his ribs before we spent the entire night together. He probably had concussion so we spent the night watching TV, chatting, hell even just sitting by the window watching the late night life of the city of stilwater, he sat in the arm chair the pillows supporting his arm as he watched out the window I sat on the floor and rested my head on his knee as we talked softly. But apart from that time, like everyone else I found out about the escalation of him and the brotherhood through the papers and news. The only other time we talked about it…”

Breakfast was delivered and she waited for the waitress to be completely gone before starting again

“Was when he knew Maero was going to try and end them and him. I was on a morning shift so I was back by 12, I had gone to get a food shop and when I got back there he was already in the flat. Not an odd thing as I said he would come and go without warning but he was tense something was wrong but I didn't push it. We had been together for about six weeks by that point and all had been good and I didn't want to push him  
“You staying?” I asked as I moved about putting things away  
“…. No.” He said  
I stopped unpacking food and watched him, something was bugging him. He was always a quiet person, if left to it he would sit silently usually deep in though. If engaged he would come alive in a conversation but his… Default setting was silence. But this was different, this was a hesitant silence, like he wanted to talk but couldn't  
“You know that….” He said shifting  
I just watched him while he shifted in the living room he rubbed the back of his neck and he looked at me. I quietly lent on the table that separated the two area's and watched him as he silently fought with himself  
“I…” He sighed in frustration. A sharp exhale as he looked up at the ceiling  
“I know” I said softly with a smile letting him out of his misery  
He seemed a little relieved as he walked over  
“Good” He said softly  
He stayed for a couple of hours and he told me that he had a phone call from Maero and that he was told Maero wanted to finish it. I knew exactly what toll the conflict had taken on him probably more than most. No one else saw the emotion that the events of those times took on Mickey. He was tense all the time waiting for someone to question him someone to try and fight him for the top position. But that night it was only fact he told me that he was going to fight Maero and that he was going to do it alone. I told him to take Gat, told him to cheat and he refused. He was the leader of the saints he was the one who would revenge Carlos, the fact he felt responsible was the thing that made him go alone. That time together, he never said it but in a lot of ways, he showed me that he loved me but then he went. By the time he returned he was half deaf and went straight to the shower. He was quiet but calmer I don’t think he was happy that he was dead but I think he was happy that it was over. He settled on the sofa and I didn't ask him about it I simply thanked what ever was looking over him that he was alive even if it meant that Maero was dead.  
It wasn't long before he was asleep on the sofa with me. That’s when I saw the news reports. That’s when I knew what had happened.  
There were levels to his way of dealing with things. If you were simply in his way he would “remove” you. But if you messed with his gang then gods help you…. And if you were a traitor…”  
  
She sighed and shook her head

“The brotherhood messed with the saints, he took them down”

We ate and I got to see something that will stick with me for a long time. We where finished eating and were waiting for the cheque when she tensed. From behind me, on the street; three saints walked passed. We had sat beside where she had parked and we sat quietly. They noticed the car instantly and talked to each other before turning to look into the diner. She didn’t register anything more than my presents. The three walked in and looked about. One stopped and pulled out a phone, they were stood right at the end of our table and I could hear the buttons being pushed  
“Is the boss in stilwater?” He asked “….. His cars parked in the street….. Well not sure totally…. That’s why I asked. No…. You just had to say that”  
He put down the phone and shrugged  
“He ain’t about”  
“But that’s his car”  
“Pierce says it ain’t”  
With that the three walked out but before stopping and taking a picture of the car and leaving down the road. I watched her for a long moment  
“Hide in plain sight?” I asked  
She shrugged  
“They don’t know me or my connection”  
“That is the only thing connecting you…. Why not change it. Or get rid of it?” I asked looking at the car. I hoped by now we had a better relationship that would mean I could and ask without her just dismissing me  
“Because it’s all I’ve got of him” She said softly

“ **You said you met Gat?”** I tried

We were driving round and had moved out the way of people. It seemed she didn’t want to risk heading back to the hotel

“Yeah… It was a few months later. He had been busy buying up properties in the old brotherhood controlled areas building up money and power. While it was quieter he had stuck around more and more after Maero had been killed he would stay the night most nights and then spend a couple of hours with the saint’s before returning to mine “running errands” he called it, but this time he had stayed two whole days. He would sleep next to me but never curl up together. Sometimes he would thread his arm up between the pillow and then under my head, his hand resting over my heart. Sometimes he would play his fingers gently on my skin and sometimes I would hold his hand, it was how we were sleeping when Gat broke in. He kicked in the door and stalked in double pistols pointed at the bed  
“Gat?” Mickey said without moving  
I stayed perfectly still but watched the man with the guns. He took in the scene and raised his eyebrow  
“And here I was thinking you were kidnapped. Well, Then again I guess you are” He said with slight shrug. He took time to look me over and then back to Mickey  
“I think you can lower your guns” Mickey said  
“I think you could put on some pants”  
I sat up bringing my knees up as Mickey stood and pulled on his jeans. He got his shirt and headed for the door pulling the shirt on as he went  
“You think I would let myself get kidnapped. And they had parked my car outside?” He stopped and looked back at Gat avoiding eye contact with me  
Gat hadn't moved he was silently watching me through the sights from behind his glasses. He tilted his head in contemplation and I just watch him back  
“Gat?” Mickey called his tone sharp  
He gave me the quickest glance before opening the door. Gat followed finally  
“Pierce had got a plan with the Ronin” Gat called  
Again he got to the door and looked back at me before stepping out the room. I went to the window and watched them. They got into Gat’s car and drove off without looking back”  
I watched her as we pulled into the apartment building they were next to student housing but some were still private renters  
“That’s where I was living” She sighed  
I nodded and watched purple dressed people walking about most ignoring us as purple cars seemed to be parked around the place but some looking with recognition in their eyes it seemed the car was distinctive and it made me feel quiet exposed as we quietly rolled back to the road and onto the free-way, she tucked into traffic and started getting out a cigarette  
“It was a scary few nights” She mused

“ **Did Gat know about you two?”**

“I don’t think he knew till that morning and understandably I didn't see Mickey for a few days but a car turned up down the road. It would sit on the road or in the restaurant car park and a couple of times I saw it when I was coming home just driving past or sitting at the traffic lights as I crossed it was hard to know if it was the same car as more and more Gang cars were turning up on the streets but it seemed to be the same driver. I just worked, went out with friends and shopping. There was no point changing my habits or it would prove that there was something to hide from. But they watched me. And two weeks later he turned up again. It was early almost dawn when he got in. I had started to lock the door but leaving the back window open silently  
I had resigned myself to doing nothing drastic until I needed to, he had climbed up on the dumpster out the back, in the window and was sitting on the floor as he woke me softly from his crouched position, I jumped as I woke and reached for my lamp, and he gently grabbed my wrist and shook his head  
“Come on” He whispered  
“What’s going on?” I asked  
“Later” He said  
I slid out of bed and grabbed my jeans I didn't dare get up so I lay on the floor and he knelt over me as I pulled on my jeans making him laugh softly I was wearing his old football shirt and my jeans with some trainers. With my hair loose I looked a bit of a sight as we crawled along the floor to the bathroom and out the little window.  
We dropped into the ally and he took a moment to look me over. He gently moved some stray hairs out of my face and looked round, something told me the situation was dangerous he grabbed my hand and we started to walk along the path. He was dressed in a black and purple bike jacket and jeans and I was concerned he had brought his bike. I was worried as it was too open, too obvious but we didn't use a bike, instead we took a parked car from outside image as designs and drove along in silence  
“Am I in danger?” I asked  
“Maybe” He grunted  
I nodded and slipped a shaking hand onto his. I never expected affection from him but usually he let casual touches go without reacting but this time he opened his fingers and let my fingers slip between his before giving them a strong squeeze  
We drove over the bridge to the southern island and round to the mountain. The mountain was totally neutral and even used as a meeting point between gangs. We drove along the dirt road before turning into the old abandoned cabins they used to be a, what do you call them? Summer camp? But that was years ago and by then they were just rotting wooden buildings next to a lake. Without another word he got out and paced the mud path  
I got out and just sat on the bonnet my feet on the bumper, he turned to look at me and I stayed perfectly still  
“What is going on here?” He demanded  
“Right now I don’t know” I said softly  
“No” He snapped “Why can’t I just…. What have you done to me?”  
I simply watched him there for a moment as he paced over just as he got to me he pulled his gun out and put the barrel over my heart  
“It is nothing I've done”  
“What the hell is wrong with me?” He demanded  
I slipped off the bonnet and stood in front of him it pushed the barrel until I thought it would push onto the bone but it made the point I was trying to make. The entire time I was watching his eyes  
“I love you” I said softly  
“I…” He gritted his teeth and growled “Why is it easier to kill someone than to … care for them?”  
I smiled and gently put my hand round his wrist every muscle in his arm was tensed to the point he was shaking with the effort to keep calm  
“Because one of them takes courage, resolve and a backbone. The other one is murder”  
He dropped the gun and put it back in his belt. Before walking over to the water I was starting to get cold as I tried to keep from shivering  
“Has Johnny been following me?” I asked  
“No, not Johnny. But I found someone else sitting outside” He said keeping his eyes on the water. His legs were lit up by the headlights but his top half was in darkness  
“Is he?”  
“Yes” He said sharply  
I winced and nodded  
“So I’ll disappear” I said softly  
“If I wanted you gone I would have just let Gat shoot you”  
He turned and rubbed the bridge of his nose I suddenly felt heavy and tired I don’t know how long we had been sitting in that moment but the sun was turning the sky pale and soon it would break the horizon before I spoke  
“So what do you think we should do?”  
“We’re getting you a secure apartment. Least then you will have some warning if Gat gets it in his head” He said  
The emotions got to me, not sadness nor pity but anger red hot anger  
“Well he can go fuck himself!” I snarled  
It made him turn to me in surprise  
“That gun toting psychopathic asshole has got it in for me, why?” I demanded  
“He thinks if people know about you I’ll be compromised and someone will make me choose between you” He said calmly  
“So follow me then kill me on my way to work?”  
“That the best way to solve the equation”  
“Then he’s shit at maths!” I shouted  
He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. It seemed to do the trick as I relaxed a little  
“At least leave me a gun” I whispered “I'm not just gonna go down without a fight just because I fell in love with you”  
He hugged me tightly and I took in the rare moment of affection  
“There’s always a SMG under your bed. Don’t sleep without one” He said resting his chin on my head  
“Are they easy to use?”  
“If they weren't violence would be none existent. Only smart people would be able to use them”  
It was the most profound thing he said to me and when I shivered he removed his coat and put it round me, he only had a t-shirt on but I didn't argue as he went back to the car, when I didn't follow he stopped at the door  
“I got a place set up” He said and nodded for me to get in  
We drove to the new apartment. It was in south saint row a penthouse in a condo complex it had a secure door and underground parking. He had brought it outright and it was already furnished. So… no need to return just then. We had an argument about the bills. I didn't want to be some kept women I wanted to pay my bills and keep separate. But the reason I was living in such a small place wasn't because I liked the minimalist lifestyle my pay was crappy and the city was expensive. But he didn't want me in anything more then a secure building and I had to admit it was a beautiful apartment, cavernous for one person. So we compromised. He paid the bills and I didn't stop him”  
  
The story stopped and I realized we had pulled back into the hotel and my heart sunk a little. I've always been an outdoors type and the idea of going back in the room made me wince  
“How about we walk before going up?”  
“Sounds like a plan” She nodded  
The sun found its way out and hit my skin feeling great

“ **Did he ever tell you he loved you?”**

 ****She gave a long sigh and smiled  
“Once” She laughed  
It was a warm pleasant sound that made me smile in pure reaction to it  
“Not the usually reaction to that type of thing” I prompted  
“It was month maybe six weeks or so after I had moved. I had managed to retrieve my person items after the saints had left me alone. I had changed jobs to office work as an assistant to an Ultor executive. I had finished work and was getting ready to sit down and relax when there was a buzz on the intercom  
“Hello” I called  
“Hey, your voice in this box. I pressed your name” He laughed  
I thought for a moment it was someone else, that or he had a head wound again, he tended to ramble when he scrambled his brain. I ran down to the lobby to find a worrying sight. He was blood splattered, leaning by the intercom with his pistol forgotten in his hand as he talked into the speaker  
“Mickey” I said softly  
He looked up and grinned brightly  
“Hey” He called staggering over to me “I pressed the button and everything and here you are”  
I gently took his gun and tucked it into the small of my back he didn't fight while I got his money clip as he lent heavily on my shoulder. He weighed a solid tonne making me struggle but he seemed oblivious as he laughed quietly to himself and whispered in my ear in his native Spanish  
I offered the man a couple of hundred dollar bills as he tensely watched Mickey  
“The owners of this apartment complex don’t look kindly on… Gang associations” He said coldly  
“Well he has nothing to worry about does he? My friend had a little too much to drink” I said handing him another hundred before bundling Mickey into the elevator  
The lift was thankfully empty, I looked him over. He had a welt on his head but none of the blood seemed to be his. He finally leant on the elevator wall instead of me and hugged my hips and waist  
“So what happened?” I asked  
“Shh” He said looking up at the camera  
It seemed there was still something about him as he lent on the wall he sighed and looked down at me watching me with that quiet smile. We went into the flat and straight away he was in the fridge and eating the left overs that were in there from the last time he visited, what is it about Americans and keeping take away food? I put the gun on the side table and followed him. Within minuets the food was gone as he put down the containers and walked over to me sucking his fingertips. He gently grabbed my waist and lifted me onto the side  
“You’re covered in blood” I laughed softly  
“That is because I killed a lot of people before they killed me” He sighed as I watched him with a frown  
“Who tried to kill you” I whispered  
“Sons of Samedi”  
I had read about the escalation between the saints and well the whole damn city but full scale open war? That was a new one. He pulled my hips against his and I took the time to wipe his lips before he kissed me hard his hands gripped tightly  
“I love you” He said firmly  
“I love you too” I said softly trying to hide my excitement by kissing him  
“Your patient. I like that” He joked  
“Well you’re worth it” I said with a smile.  
He thought for a minute and sighed  
“You the only on who thinks” He sighed  
If I wasn't careful he would get dark. I leant over and took a cloth from by the sink dampening it and washed his face to remove the blood splatter  
“Well I'm the only one who should count” I said firmly  
“You are” He nodded “You and Gat”  
I laughed and started to pull off his jacket and he groaned  
“Don’t get any ideas” I laughed “You’re not getting anywhere near the furniture till you shower”  
He laughed and pulled off his t-shirt and his trousers on the easy to wipe clean tiled floor. We showered together mainly because in his state a wet tub would be lethal and then as he slept soundly I washed his clothes and sponged down his leather jacket before hanging it up. As I put the coat on the hook his phone started to ring. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. Gat was ringing him. I let it ring and watched a text pop up

“ **What did it say?”** I asked

“Heard what happened. Pissed I missed the murdering. Got told you were at the hideout but missed you. I know you’re with her. I know you stashed her away”

“ **What did you do?”**

“I took down his number”

We had been walking in the sun and had come to the fountain and were sitting on the edge for the first time she seemed to relax. She let her hair down and I could see it wasn’t just chestnut it was on the edge of auburn red streaks shone through her hair. It was longer than I thought with her hair down her face was softer than with it up. I couldn’t help but watch her as she took off her glasses and coat to show pale skin on her shoulders and arms. She had tattoo’s on her lower arms with the clothing barriers removed I could see the real women and it wasn't hard to see why he was so bewitched with her

“ **Why did you take his number?”** I asked softly

She looked down and gave a smile  
“I figured if he wasn't going to let it go I was going to see exactly why. I knew Mickey would never allow it so I would have to do it without him knowing  
The next morning Mickey had no idea about how he got there or what he said and I didn't tell him, he was awkward about the fact that I had washed and dried his clothes. Even when I usually kept clean clothes for him in the bedroom but generally they weren't blood soaked. He was tense that he might have said something. So I just played dumb and he left shortly after waking and I acted the moment he was gone. I went into town and brought a cheap phone and dialled Gat’s number, first time it just rang off and I redialled and within three rings he answered  
“What?” He snapped  
For a moment he had scared me and I was silent  
“You called me asshole. Better start talking”  
“He isn't stashing me anywhere” I said firmly  
It was his turn to be silent. I heard movement and a door closing before he talked again  
“So you sniffing round his phone, brave” He said a little amusement clear in his voice  
“He turned up last night and he was sleeping when your message came through and if your gonna start threatening him and talking about me then were going to have a problem”  
“Your not a problem little girl, your just a something he thinks he needs”  
“Then why the hell are you so bothered?”  
He laughed softly down the phone a laugh that came from the throat and somehow was filled with threat  
“People find out about you then they come after you, clouds his judgement. Makes him sloppy. Plus you screw him over and I’ll hunt you down”  
“I understand. Forget me and we’ll never have a problem”  
“I told you. You ain’t a problem”  
I looked round the street and smiled  
“Then stop talking about me to _your_ boss”  
I hung up the phone. Erased the number and returned it to its factory setting and dropped it into a beggars hat before leaving the area  
I spent the whole week expecting Mickey to come over and start what I could only assume would be world war three. Then when a week went past and he still didn't turn back up. I figured the best had happened and he had cut ties or that Gat had told him and he was deciding what to do. But if the papers were to be believed then there was rising tension between the Ronin and the Saints and what was left of the Samedi all were fighting and certain area’s had turned into a war zone one area of the lesser developed area's was almost burned to the ground. Another reason I was living and working in saint’s row, the gangs didn't come into it often and when they did they weren't fighting.  
After two weeks finally he appeared and it couldn't have been worst timing. He walked in using his key and I had some friends round they had wanted to see the new place and I had resigned to not seeing him again. We had heard the key in the door and were watching from the living room. He stopped and looked round the room studying each friend and then his eyes landed on me. He was annoyed. No, pissed  
“Are you going to introduce us?” One of my friends asked  
“This is James, My neighbour” I said my voice quiet  
“Got something for you” He said his tone suggesting he was fighting to keep calm  
I nodded and stood  
“Come through” I said  
I walked past and he pushed off from the wall to follow, we went into the kitchen and I could see he was shaking with anger  
“What’s wrong?” I asked softly  
“You know damn well” He hissed  
I swallowed and watched him pace the kitchen before stopping and putting his palms on the counters  
“Tell me” I said keeping my flat tone  
He looked up with sharp glare as he clenched and unclenched his jaw  
“It’s all over the damn news. Gat got stabbed. Aysha was killed”  
Confusion and relief hit me all at once. He must have been talking about a different women  
“Is he alright?” I asked  
“Was a fucking trap” He growled  
I carefully came closer and hugged myself  
“What happened?” I asked softly  
“Gat wanted to talk to me about some phone call he got and invited me to his. We walked into a god damn trap”  
I went to play with his hair and he pulled away so far he was back in the middle of the room where he started pacing  
“This is why you don’t get close to someone. They find out they always fucking do” he hissed. He moved to the other door and listened to the living room when he could hear quiet talking he seemed happy enough to keep talking  
I sighed and nodded  
“Do you want to break this off?” I asked softly  
I looked down waiting for him to tell me to get out but he sighed heavily and roughly pulled me to him  
“Come with me” He said softly but firmly  
I looked into his eyes and nodded. I told my friends to wait and that I had to help him with something”

“ **How did you know it was safe?”**

We had walked back towards the town and had settled into a bar and was watching the world go by she was sitting sideways watching the road as I leant back on my side of the booth the beer was damn good and nicely chilled  
“I didn’t, but I never fully knew I was safe. Every day I spent where he could find me I was risking my life, every time I went near him I risked it. But he was addictive, you broke passed the walls and I could see who he could have been….”  
She looked to the window and shook her head as she lit a cigarette  
“Whoever damaged his trust that much should burn for what they did. He had no idea how to be affectionate how to show he cared, I guessed it was because he had never been showed it, never knew what it meant. It would frustrate him completely to the point of madness but he was mine and I was patient with him and it paid off… sometimes  
“Where did you two go?”  
“To get married. He drove me to ‘on thin ice.’ When we pulled up and looked out the window and frowned  
“What we doing here?” I asked  
“Want you to pick out a ring” He said looking out the windscreen  
“You know I don’t need presents” I said firmly,  
I didn't encourage him to buy me things as they were usually way more expensive than what someone should buy. He wanted to buy me a car. Growing up in England I forget that most of you think you have to own a car to survive, a lot of the population of England still walk and use public transport, I was quiet happy without one and so it had become a long running argument that I needed a car and I kept insisting I didn't.  
“Not a present. I want you to pick out a wedding ring”  
For a moment I sat in stunned silence in his car  
“What?” I asked  
“I wanna marry you. Now”  
I nodded. There was no point arguing something that I wanted. I wanted to be with him and I wanted to be with him for good I just never thought it would ever happen. So we went in and picked out wedding bands he brought himself a steel wedding ring and me this one. We didn't do more than find a captain at the sea front docks and paid him to do it”


	4. Chapter 4

**Four**

 

“ **I thought it was just a myth captains could marry people”**

“It is, I checked up on it. But we couldn't just go to a court house but we bribed a captain and got the paper filed the same way with a bribe. We drove back and he kissed me passionately in the car  
“You just said you could loose me? That someone would find out”  
He shrugged and gripped the wheel  
“I don’t know they won’t. Hell don’t know if someone is't gonna shoot me in the head when I'm walking down the road but I'm not so scared of loosing  
something that I'm not gonna have it. They had years together and never once did Johnny regret it. I want you to be mine no matter what happens”  
I moved over to sit on his lap and kiss him  
“I thought she was already dead?” I finally asked with a frown  
“No… Faked her death”  
The way we was so casual about it while he ran his fingers over my skin made me laugh softly and kiss him again  
“Go see Johnny and come back later” I said softly  
He clenched his jaw and nodded. I went back to my flat and settled in to chat to my friends they wanted to know about my neighbour. All but one friend she quietly watched me, I told them I didn't know much about him just that he was married; after that they lost interest and moved on all but the one friend. But with it getting late one by one they headed home. The last one was my friend but I suspected she was going to be the last, she helped me clean up and I walked her to the door and I knew what was coming  
“I grew up on Saints row. Did you know that?”  
“No” I said with a smile  
“I moved when I could. Those gangs nearly ripped the city apart while fighting over it. And I can see them doing it again”  
She watched me for a moment and I kept my face blank. Finally she sighed and shook her head  
“Those gangs are trouble and their leader is the worst. He’s a Psychopath”  
I shifted in the doorway and nodded  
“It’s why I moved out the area with the brotherhood around and the saints. It wasn't safe any more”  
She frowned and crossed her arms  
“I know who ‘James’ is. Well I suspect I don’t know I think the hair is different…. Thing is. Get out while he is friendly”  
“I don’t know what you think you know but James is just a guy who lives in the building” I said firmly  
“I'm just worried” She sighed  
“I know. But… Keep those worries to yourself; you could ruin someone by talking like that”  
She thought for a minute and nodded  
“I guess your right. It could ruin a few people”  
We hugged and she left and by the time he got back I had made up my mind about what to tell him  
I was in bed when the door went downstairs. I tracked his movement through the flat and up to the bedroom and the door. It opened and he moved around the room. For a moment I was worried it wasn’t him as he didn’t talk, but then he never talked if he came in late. He silently moved into bed and his hand touched my back. The anticipation made me jump and roll over  
“Did I wake you?” He asked  
“No… I was just waiting”  
He laughed softly in his throat and pulled me closer  
“How was your evening?” He asked  
I smiled and kissed him, he smelt of beer and had the sharp taste of Tequila on his tongue, he had been drinking, I guess with the saints as he was relaxed and as affectionate as he got  
“Well my friend came over because I was upset I hadn't seen my mystery man in a few weeks and I was worried he had left me…”  
He nodded and ran his fingers down my back making me shiver  
“It was going well, when my friend from the building turned up to talk to me. It turned out to be the man I love who in an insane turn of events whisked me away and well, we got married  
He laughed and I kissed his jaw and neck  
“Maybe I should be jealous”  
“Nah, but we should hurry, he might be back any minute”  
He laughed a little louder and I stopped and took a deep breath, he realised something was up as I slipped onto his lap and he sat totally still  
“But one of my friends recognised my brand new husband and warned me how dangerous he was”  
He pushed me away and watched me and even in the blackness I could feel his cold eyes  
“Fuck you say?” He demanded  
“She didn't totally recognise you and she left promising she would keep her suspicions to herself”  
For a long moment he just watched me before letting out a tired sigh and hugged me tightly  
“I'm just too damn tired to deal with that right now” He sighed  
I nodded and ran my fingers along the scars on his shoulder  
“I'm sorry” I said regretting saying anything  
“Don't be” He said firmly  
That night he stayed and even in the morning we spent the time together I thought I might get a day with him but it wasn't to be. We were watching TV… Well the TV was on and we we’re in front of it, when his mobile rang and his lieutenants were demanding he do something  
“All right, I’ll meet you at the hideout” He sighed  
He dropped his phone with a thump on the floor and I could hear a voice calling  
“Boss? Boss?”  
He looked down at me and grinned as he picked the phone up and put it to my ear  
“Boss, I know you’re there”  
He nodded and mouthed for me to speak. I took the phone and rolled over to move a little way away  
“I'm sorry the boss isn't available at the moment” I said in my best breathy voice  
I felt him move over me and move my hair to the side  
“Who the fuck is this?” Someone demanded  
“The person keeping your boss busy” I said trying to keep from loosing my calm  
“And what is the boss busy doing?”  
Mickey grabbed my waist and yanked me back under him making me yelp and laugh  
“At the moment… me”  
Mickey laughed and hung up the phone, I guess that’s as close as I got to the saints. But he was already getting ready to go. It seemed someone was in need of him. so I walked him to the door and said goodbye”  
  
She fell silent and I became aware that I had been leaning almost over the table to listen and when the spell was broken I carefully leant back and shifted

“ **So. You weren’t… legally married?”**  I asked  
She shrugged and shook his head  
“Not really but how would we? Not like he could have registered with the courts, booked a reception and registered for gifts at friendly fire. No in our minds we were married and that was all that mattered then. But then how is it different from what others do?”  
The sun was sinking and as long as we kept buying the drinks the staff were happy to stay there. She watched me for a moment and I thought about what she had already told me  
“So. You met, you fell in love, you married… you didn’t follow him to Steelport or even spend time together now. He hasn't returned to stilwater yet and I'm guessing you haven’t risked going to him… So what happened?”  
  
She stretched and I could hear her joints clicked

“Two weeks later I got a phone call from a friend that our mutual friend had died. She had been run over by a car during a police chase. But also she had been shot; I checked the facts through the Ultor database and it seemed the chase had happened because the Saint’s car shot at the police and drove off. They dictated the route and they shot her. I was furious I cursed the fact I told him and that I hadn’t checked his behaviour after about her. And when he turned up I was furious with him and the whole stinking gang. He had been missing a couple of days and when he turned up I couldn't control myself I flung the nearest thing at the hallway as he came round the corner. He had excellent reflexes and he ducked and rolled for cover  
“What the fuck!” He yelled  
“You bastard!” I screamed back  
“What?” He called  
His voice had moved and I realised he wasn't just going to cower; he was hunting me. I ran up to the bedroom and grabbed the gun he stashed at the head of the bed  
“You know! You know damn well what you did!”  
Movement outside the door; the sound of running feet made me spin round and carefully move into the hall it was empty  
“No! I don’t or I wouldn't of just walked in!”  
“She’s dead!” I snapped  
I spun round and he was beside me. I pulled the trigger but it did nothing. He grabbed the barrel and twisted the gun, pain made me let go and he threw it away, I tried to kick him but he was 6’3” and twice my weight in muscle mass and he could take pain… block it like it was nothing and me kicking and trashing at him was nothing compared to what he had been through. He easily pinned me against the wall.  
I screamed in frustration and tried to fight him  
“She wasn't going to tell anyone!” I growled  
“I couldn't take that risk” He said firmly  
I stopped. I had revisited this conversation over and over and never did I think he would just admit it  
“You admit you killed her”  
“Yes” He said harshly  
“Why?” I asked on the point of tears  
“Because... Someone will always try to take you” He said  
The thought made me stop completely. I suddenly realised just how dangerous he was. He was willing to kill someone because there was a chance she would stop this…. Whatever this was. He was more dangerous than I ever wanted to believe  
“Let me go” I begged quietly  
He backed off and I ran for the bathroom and threw up. He stalked behind the door as I cried and kept my head hanging  
“I can’t have you at risk” He said flatly  
“Then you never should have come back after I gave you my car. I never would have been in trouble. And she would be alive!” I snapped  
He was silent for a second as he walked into the room he walked over and hesitantly touched my hair. I shrunk away from the touch. That hurt him more than any kick, punch or shot I could have ever given him but I couldn't look him in the eye I knew it would hurt him but I couldn't have him touch me”  
  
She rubbed her eyes and shifted in her seat and my heart ached for her. She looked at the food on her plate the remains of a bloody stake, I leant over and took her hand giving it a squeeze. She smiled and pulled her hand away  
“It was the beginning of the end. Gang violence escalated further as each fight resulted in him stepping up the violence in order to deal with his frustrations and it just made me pull away from him more and soon he was only coming round if I asked”

“ **Why did you ask him?”**

She smiled and laughed softly  
“Cause I missed him. I still loved him and the fear of having him close was only short lived. I couldn't bear to be without him more then I hated what he did” She said before thinking “The biggest fight ended with him taking on the general and destroying the mall”  
She stopped and watched the street and she sat up. I froze and tried to look calm  
“You know when you love someone that much but you hate them at the same time. I wanted him round and we still had good times but they were never the same again he never spent the night there and would only spent an hour or so by the end.” She carried on  
“Is that what happened?”  
“Yes, and no” She said “I love him even now but… I can’t forgive him for what he did, not because he killed her. Not because of what he was but because he was right. Someone did take me away; someone forced him to choose between me and the saints. Just neither of us knew he was the one that would do it”  
She stood and I followed only to find a little too much beer had gone to my legs and she grabbed my waist and walked me out of the bar. We had walked a long way to the bar and now it seemed a dangerous thing. Was this why she wanted to keep near the hotel?  
“What are we walking from?” I asked taking the opportunity to rest my hands on the top of her hip  
“I wouldn't be too hands on”  
“Why?” I asked with a beery grin  
“Because were walking away from Mickey’s thugs”  
I tensed as she laughed and kissed my cheek she nuzzled my jaw before whispering  
“They won’t do anything their just hired suits”  
I nodded and kissed her forehead  
“I'm kind of terrified”  
“Mickey hired them to follow me. They're not Saints”  
“Why did he hire them?”  
“I have no idea, I never let them catch up with me”  
We kept up our pace and my heart leapt with relief as the hotel came into view. Suddenly she pushed me into some little clothing shop and moved into the back. We ducked into a changing room but before closing the door she put something on the fire exit and left it a little a jar. We stood silently closed in the tiny cubical, we stayed together my arms between hers and my palms flat on the wall her perfume was intoxicating and her body warm against mine. I moved closer and she smiled  
“This way!” A man called  
“……If he wants to know what I'm doing. Then he can find me” The second man said as if reading from something “Bitch”  
It would seem she had left them a note and they had found it. The two men walked out the back and for a moment we stood in silence. I looked down at her and she nodded, for a moment I hesitated and she shifted against me and my entire body shivered  
“You’re a married women, and married to a very dangerous man” I whispered  
“And you think he’s been a monk. Shaundi has fucked every man in stilwater. You think he’s been left out?”  
Her tone was jealous and harsh. I let out a shaking sigh and leant closer. I tried to keep calm but the beer had impaired my judgement I just couldn't stop myself any longer. I gently brushed my lips against hers and kissed her soft full bottom lip I let the kiss linger and for a moment she stopped, her hands moved to grab my belt and pulled me closer. I groaned and kissed her my hand cupping her jaw  
It was short lived as she moved away and grabbed my hand pulling me along behind her. We rejoined the foot traffic and walked quickly over the bridge and headed into the hotel  
“You've don’t it now. She’s used to a take charge man you were too soft, too gentle” I thought silently  
We got into the lift and she leant on the side. I came to stand in front of her and grabbed her waist, sliding my hand down to her ass and she ran her fingers along my belt. I gripped her pulling her up against the wall as she wrapped her legs round me


	5. Chapter 5

**Five**

I woke in the hotel with a thick head, a churning stomach and an empty bed. For a moment I thought about the last day and what she had told me. The Dictaphone was on the floor in my jeans next to my phone; I pulled out the Dictaphone and rewound the last couple of seconds  
“Someone forced him to choose between me and the saints, just on one knew he was the one that would be it”  
“God that sounds a little over dramatic don’t you think?” She called as she came out the bathroom  
“I like it, it’s true” I said watching her images of last night came into my head and I could help but want her to climb back between the sheet but it seemed she didn't have that in mind  
“I guess” She sighed  
She sat on the chair in the bathrobe and put her feet up on the desk the robe slide down her leg stopping this side of indecent. She picked up the Dictaphone pressed record and set it down by her

“I don’t know if it was really about my friend. I knew what he was and I knew what would happen when I told him, so why did I push him away? Why did I tell him about her?”  
She thought for a moment and sighed  
“I would like to say that it was a sub conscious choice to let him go. That I knew our lives were too different for the two of us to be happy and that I was deeply happy with him gone”

“ **And was it?”**

“Bollocks was it. I don’t know why I told him, it wasn't like I particularly liked her. She was a shallow two faced bitch, but I didn't want her dead. I was going to keep quiet about the phone call. I knew Gat would tell him. In fact that was what the biggest fight was about.  
I kept a tabs on the escalation between the three gangs. When he saved Gat from the fight at the hospital we had a great night he came round and I had calmed down, we never went out for obvious reasons but that night we drove up to the top of the mountain and sat watching the city. We sat with our backs to the car wheel and he took me in his arms and hugged me, I curled up and rested my head on his shoulder and he softly spoke to me about the city. We watched the sun rise and as the sun warmed us through we slept together before reluctantly going home.  
When Gat was out the hospital and the date for the funeral set I got him a suit as a present for Aisha's funeral but I didn't go and I'm glad I didn't”

“ **Is it true that they buried him alive?”**

She winced a little.  
“I don’t know, Shogo was never seen after that night. He is presumed dead so make of it what you will. I never asked… luckily Gat didn't mention the phone call yet and I hoped it was forgotten. The sons of Samedi were battling him over that Lowa dust shit and between taking on the General and the Akuji’s when I did see him we were either in bed or at each others throats”

“ **You said the biggest fight you had was before he took on the general”**

She got up and started getting dressed and brushing her fingers through her damp hair  
“Johnny hadn't forgotten about the call but it seemed he wanted to catch Mickey out, force the situation so it didn't seem as if he was just telling…. Or at least that was the impression I got and god damn Gat could push his buttons when he wanted.  
It seemed they were talking about something or other when Mickey brought up the problems with getting attached to cars when you usually have to dump them or they get shot to pieces so there was no point in sinking money into doing up the ones you drive everyday. And then Gat says  
“Probably the same rule with bitches”  
Mickey agrees and Gat takes the moment  
“That girl I found you with seemed like she had some fight didn't run when I pointed guns at her anyway”  
“Who you talking about?” Mickey tries  
“The one I caught you 'sleeping' with”  
“You still on that? you think you want a go? Was months ago man”  
“I don’t know. If you ain't seen her since then I ain't going near her”  
“Why's that?”  
“Cause that means she’s a fucking psycho. Got my number out your phone and called me telling me she and you weren’t any of my business….”

Wow he was pissed when he got to me. He met me at my parking space in the building. I parked and suddenly he’s driving up and slamming on his brakes skidding to a halt across my car. For a moment he just sat there staring straight ahead. I got out of mine and quietly walked to the passenger side and got in. Suddenly we’re driving full speed so fast when he came to the ramp he clipped his under carriage on the floor and nearly took off at the top forcing him to slam on the brakes and skid to a halt, the other drivers are slamming on their brakes. He stepped on the accelerator and brake turning the wheel and spun the car round on the spot till he faced the right way before burning out with tires squealing. We forced our way through traffic and down to the airport. Round the back there is a strip of dirty sand which can be driven on. We hit the grass and he sped up driving onto the sand until we were well behind the building  
“I should shoot you now for pulling that shit” He hissed  
Fear shot through me and I chose my words carefully  
“What shit did I pull?” I asked flatly. By then him snapping and growling at me was common place but I still knew not to push him when him leaving in a bad mood could mean collateral damage for a large part of the city  
He glared at me and got out the car. I watched him pace but when I went to get out he walked over and grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet pulling me out the car. I stood silently and watched the sand. Never back down to him and never back pedal. I heard him crack his neck and the pacing started again  
“You stole my phone! Called Gat? Threatened him?!”  
I didn't move didn't look up just crossed my arms  
“Let me explain?” I asked  
“Fine” He snapped “Talk quickly”  
He stopped and looked down at me and I finally looked up into his blazing eyes the ice blue pierced my mind and for a moment I went blank as his jaw clenched and unclenched  
“I didn't steal it…” I said softly  
“Well I'm sure as fuck, don’t remember giving it to you!” He snarled  
“It was when you turned up high as hell. I actually prefer that guy he wasn't such an asshole”  
“What the fuck has that night got to do with that?” even now he was defensive about that night. I suspected he remembered what happened and the fact it upset him this much did grate on me  
“I was washing the damn blood off your clothes and Gat text you telling you he knew you were with me”  
“And I dealt with it. He was just fishing trying to bait me! All you did was give him fucking proof!” He screamed  
“So what if I did? He hasn't done anything” I shouted “You’re not the only one who wanted to keep us together!”  
“And he wouldn't till he talked to me. Because he knew if someone pulled that shit on me I would shoot them and leave them in the god damn river!”  
“If your going to shot me then do it, stop talking about it, that shit gets old quickly” I sneered  
The shot dug into the ground less than a foot away from me. I didn’t jump and I think this annoyed him. I knew if he was going to kill me he would just do it.  
“You’re not going to shot me” I said firmly “If you were you would have done it already… or were you gonna lock me in a car trunk?”  
“I killed your friend for less” He hissed.  
I closed the gap between us and swung for him. I hit him round the jaw and pain shot through my hand and wrist. He just took the punch I don’t know if I was just weak or if he was just good as taking punishment but he twisted and turned back, I was worried he would hit back but he just glared at me  
“You’re a fucking asshole!” I screamed  
“And you’re a psycho bitch” He snarled  
He walked back to the car and I followed  
“So what if I am?” I demanded” What if that's the only way someone can love you someone as twisted and fucked up as you are? Some mean little psychopath HASBEEN with daddy issues!”  
He stopped and walked back over the two of us inches apart  
“Get the fuck out of my place. I'm done with you” He hissed  
“Gladly” I snapped  
“And you might want to get out of my city” He snarled  
With that he walked back to his car and spun it on the sand before gunning it passed me. The car slid inches from my side before it was gone, leaving me to find my own way back to the house.  
On the way I called my friend to pick me up. As I was walking it started to rain and I was deep in the heart of saint’s territory and I was worried the saints had been told. As I got to the bridge a purple car pulled up, for a minute I ignored it and kept walking  
“If they want to kill me then do it here” I muttered to myself  
The engine gunned and the car jumped the curb stopping me  
“What the fuck do you want?” I shouted  
The tinted window slid open and Johnny Gat silently watched me through the Gap  
“And you can go fuck yourself” I snarled through gritted teeth  
I crossed the road and the car squealed its wheels and crossed the four lanes to jump the curb across the pavement making me stop again. I kicked the car and went to walk round. The car jumped forwards  
“Go fuck yourself.” I snapped  
“Get in” He said softly his tone commanding me to comply  
“Sorry I'm busy. Have to find a place to live” I knew it sounded sulking as I fought to just do what he told me his eyes didn't waver he just watched me from behind his sunglasses  
“Will you shut the fuck up and get in the car?” Gat growled  
I sighed and got in  
“Where has he gone?” He asked almost instantly  
“I don’t know. He left me here”  
I felt his eyes on me and I turned to look at him. I never had seen Gat up close even in my flat I didn't look at him more at the gun pointed at me, it seemed surreal to sit across the pavement in a car with the man that was meant to be the most dangerous man in the city. The one who cost me the man I loved. He seemed to read my expression as he simply tapped and butt of the gun sitting between the seat and the middle console. He didn't raise it he simply was reminding me he had no qualms about killing me. He reversed narrowly missing a car but putting us back on the road before he stomped on the accelerator and spun into traffic  
“Where ya going?” He asked suddenly  
“Friends house” I simply said sulking  
“Where?” He demanded  
“… I'm not telling you” I snapped  
He stopped sharply forcing the other cars to swerve out of his way  
“I told you, you ain't a problem” He said playing with the wheel cover  
I looked at him for a moment  
“You followed us, you knew this would happen?” I said softly  
“I thought he would throw you off the free-way” He said “But it seems he likes you more than I thought”  
“Liked” I corrected barely above a whisper  
“You brought this on yourself. You knew he would be pissed with you for pulling that shit. So why you getting pissed at me?”  
I had no come back for that one. No way of replying, I _had_ brought this on myself I knew he would be apocalyptically mad when he found out, if he found out.  
“You didn't have to tell him I called you” I finally said “You could of just… forgotten”  
“Yes, I did” Gat simply said “You had to be upfront with him. People sneaking behind his back is what got him blown the fuck up. It wasn't what you did. The fact he didn't kill ya for it shows he is kind of proud ya stood up to me… but you did it behind his back and you covered it up”  
“What should I have done?” I demanded petulantly  
“Told him you want to meet me… fuck anything but go behind his back”  
I was done with his, I wasn't going to back down and neither was he  
“You win alright. It’s through” I said opening the door and standing  
“Your lucky, you survived. Not everyone can say that” He said  
The pain in the words made me stop to look at him he was hurting more than he let anyone know suddenly my eyes refocused his knuckles were gripping the wheel they would go white before he would let go again and flex out his fingers his index looked like it had had a bad brake at one point but then all his fingers looked bad scared his knuckles and different heights. His position favoured his left knee resting straight and from here I could see old scarring on his neck and jaw. He was just as scared as Mickey was and I had to wonder just how far these two would go together to get what they want.  
“No I’m not Gat. No one survives this world, so why be so worried about dying that you forget to live, If I had a thousand life times and I would choose him every time even if it meant death in everyone of them. I would of think you of all people would understand that”  
I closed the door and started walking again but the car just sat there watching me. Even when my friend found me I was sure he followed us.  
I got in the car dripping wet and I could feel my friends eyes watched me as I wiped my face and scrubbed my eyes but it was no good. It wasn't just rain that soaked my cheeks as the tears made there way down my cheeks  
“You and Mickey finished huh?” He asked softly

“ **They knew he was called Mickey?”**

“They knew I would call him Mickey but they had never met him. It was just easier to call him by a name. I tried to speak, tell him we had had a fight and that it was over but I couldn't. I hung my head and tried to keep calm finally just giving a nod  
“Can we just go to yours?” I managed  
I cried silently the entire drive back and by the time we pulled up I was calm but I hated what was to come. People demanding to know who he was and what happened. I looked out the car window and took a deep breath  
“I don’t want to talk about this”  
“Alright” He said softly  
“I never did talk to them about it and for days I simply tried to find a place I could afford. While my friends tried to shake me out of my slump, I never even thought about going to the police, never even thought I should try and get revenge that way even when I found out Troy Bradshaw had a vested interest in the saints….”

She stopped talking as she stared out at the city. I wanted to go and comfort her but I guessed it wasn’t a good idea

“ **Did you see him again?”**

“Twice… three more times” She said softly “And evidence suggests he saw me more”

“ **What happened?”**

“Well first time he didn't see me at first. I had moved out of the flat but I needed to drop the keys off and paperwork. I had kept to going over late at night and I was taking one more look round when the door opened and slammed shut. I assumed it was the building manager so I was about to call from the top of the stairs when I saw it was Mickey and Gat they went into the kitchen and I slipped down the stairs to listen  
“You gonna sell it?” Gat asked  
I ducked down and tried not to be seen  
“Let the saints use it” He shrugged “Tell em it’s a fresh buy”  
“All this for one bitch” Gat sighed  
Mickey didn't say anything for a minute and Gat went to the fridge. There was nothing in it but I guessed he was hoping for a beer.  
I didn't hear what he said as I slipped across the doorway and was about to leave when I heard him  
“Just don’t talk about her. I never want to hear her name”  
His tone was so hurt so abrupt it made me stop. I watched him as I hid round the corner. He was stood looking through the papers I had put on the side and he seemed… Hollow  
I headed out the door and let it click behind me. I went into the street and straight for the near by diner that claimed it was ‘fine dining’ I slipped into a chair and watched the door through the mirror. I was waiting to be served when he ran up to the door. But he didn't come in he stopped in the doorway and looked around. The diner was filled and I guessed he didn’t want to make a scene. He must have heard the door and assumed it was me and then followed me. I didn't do anything just sat there trying no to turn round I watched him watch the back of my head and it made me itch but I refused to turn round he looked into the mirror our eyes met and I felt my heart slam against my chest and then my stomach twist and cramp but I still didn't move eventually I just shook my head making him kick the door and spin round, he just walked away shoulder barging some executive type out of his way I just ordered a coffee and stayed on the stool I just let him walk away  
The gangs were gone… They shot up the mall getting rid of the last of the Samedi, Maero was killed in a crash with his own damn truck and the Ronin gave up when both Akuji’s fell. The two top powers were Ultor and the saints. Ultor didn't want the saints in charge”  
She thought for a moment and lit another cigarette  
“Scrap that… Dane Vogel didn't like this. There had been a plan, let the gangs tear themselves apart and then buy up the land for renovation. Being an assistant to an Ultor executive paid off but it seemed it paid for them to root around their employee files as well…”


	6. Chapter 6

**Six**

We were in the hotel bar and she was her usual closed off self again for a moment I wanted to push her but she hasn't spoke again about what happened in awhile and I was worried if I pushed her and she would clam up completely  
“He had his fun side” She quietly said “It’s just… What amused him would usually mean someone’s day was ruined”

“ **What do you mean?”** I asked softly

“When he was in a good mood I couldn't get enough of him. He would sing to the radio when he didn't think I was about. Caught him a couple of times in the kitchen or in the bedroom listening to the mix and singing.”

“ **Wouldn't think of him as a singing type”**

“I don’t know if he still does …. Probably…”

“ **What else did he do?”**

“Did you know he started stealing police cars? It started out because a policeman left their keys in the ignition when trying to corner him. He took it to the saints run spray place and paid for it to be repaired. He returned it to factory new but painted them black and purple and put gold trim on the windows and lights. He hired a warehouse and he started stealing each number till he had a fleet of police cars. All factory new but purple, black and gold. It got to a point where the stilwater PD had to ask him to return them”

“ **Did he?”**

“He sold them back to them for nothing of the price it took to fix them. But the kicker was it had cost them the whole budget for vehicle repair so for an entire year the police had to drive around in purple cars with Saintswater PD on the side…. Said it was worth it just to see that. I think he did it just to piss of Chief Bradshaw”  
She laughed softly and shook her head, the smile was a fond one and made me wish that was a smile someone did when they thought of me  
“But then he always liked his cars”

“ **I can see if the phoenix is anything to go by”**

“That is just the tip of the iceberg”  
She shifted in her seat and gulped the last of her coffee  
“He would upgraded anything. He was never happy to drive anything stock”  
She looked around the people and then back to me. for a moment she watched me before leaning back in her chair. She seemed to reorganise her thoughts and sighed

“You see Ultor always keep tabs on their employees and the ones that are classed as…. High risks are watched more than most. I was seen leaving my building with Mickey. I had taken a couple of weeks off to get my head together spending up the last of my holidays. I had found a tiny little flat that I could afford, sold my car and this time didn't bother with another again, they were less likely to keep tabs on me if I was on a bus not that I truly cared if they found me, I wasn't over it all but I was… Functioning but my first day back I was called to the top of the Phillips building.  
I had never met Mr Vogel before and I was damn glad I never did after. I walked into the top office and looked around at this really ridicules tasteless office  
“Please miss. Take a seat”  
He was behind me so I walked up the stairs to stand by the desk. Before turning to watch him. He walked over to join me, standing over me he pulled out the chair  
“Please miss, sit” he insisted again  
I silently sat on the office chair and looked up at him  
“Nice necklace” He said softly  
He was looking down my shirt and I realised I was wearing a Flur-de-le necklace I remembered finding the gift on the side of the bed early on when he first started spending the nights at my tiny flat. Fear and the memory caused my throat to close momentarily. I didn't even remember putting it on  
“It’s an old thing” I said softly  
“Do you know why you have been called up here?” He asked  
He walked behind his desk and sat down  
“No” I said harshly  
He started a video on a little screen on his desk. It showed me pulling into the buildings parking complex and a minute or so later he paused it on me and Mickey driving out again. The screen zoomed in and I simply stared at the screen  
“I will ask you again miss. Do you know why you were called up here?” His tone was still flat as he leant back in his chair  
“Am I fired?” I simple asked  
He smiled a charming smile and shook his head  
“Oh no, but we just need to talk to you”  
If he wasn't going to fire me than this wasn't going to be simple  
“We know you are associated with them” Mr Vogel said  
“Him, Not them I don’t know anything about them”  
Mr Vogel smiled and nodded  
“Perfect”  
I cursed silently. I had walked into their damn trap” I stood and turned on my heels to walk out  
“No need to fire me, I qu…” I stopped  
Two security officers in their riot armour uniform stepped in my way and I turned back to Dane  
“This is nothing to do with your job Miss”  
Two sets of hands grabbed my shoulders and arms and I was man handled back to the desk. I was forced on the desk and my head forced to look at the furious expression of my husband while a gloved hand pinned my head and torso onto the marble desk  
“You are a very independent women I can see that and I'm sure you are furious right now; so how about you tell me where he drinks or where he is known to frequents that isn't filled with gang members and we’ll let you get back to work”  
I tried to fight back and was pinned hard against the desk my left arm was forced hard up my back making me cry out in pain  
“Where can we find him?” Mr Vogel asked his tone not shifting an octave  
“Club Kio… He likes to drink in club Kio… ” I said through gritted teeth  
A gun was pressed against my spine at the base of my skull  
“If you’re lying… we trust you to be unreliable… We remove anything unreliable”  
“I'm not lying” I spat  
I was kept over the desk and I started to worry what was going to happen but any movement and they would break my arm  
“I've told you what you want. Let me go” I spat but Mr Vogel was already on the phone  
“Jamie. Tell the team Club Kio”  
I was pulled off the desk and forced into the chair where I was let go of but the barrel rested on the back of my neck again till the point the metal was forcing my head forwards. I went to move my foot and the hammer on the gun was pulled back it was for show but it did the job I didn't move another muscle  
“I hope he kills every one of you” I growled  
“Now that’s not in the company spirit” He soothed “Sounds like someone missed their last team building weekend, we will have to rectify this”  
He silently went to get behind his desk again and started working  
“What are you going to do with me?”  
“If the information is correct… nothing”  
He kept me there was an hour before finally there was a call through the radio  
“Target spotted... bring in the team”  
Mr Vogel looked up and nodded. I was grabbed by the arm and shoulder pulled out of my seat and marched towards the door. I suddenly struggled and pulled out their grip they hadn't expected the sudden rash movement but it cost me some nasty bruises I walked back towards Mr Vogel  
“What are you going to do?” I demanded  
“What did you think we were going to do? We’re going to kill him”  
The hands grabbed me harder this time and I let them pull me out of the office. I was followed all day by cameras and suited security guards until I went home. The moment I got into my flat I called him  
“What?” He answered  
I almost collapsed on the floor in relief as I choked down a sob of relief  
“I need to see you” I said softly  
“That ain't gonna happen” He said flatly  
“Please… I’ll be at the university docks,”  
The phone hung up and I hurried to change into something that wasn't a damn suit. I got a taxi there and settled down for the wait. I didn't know if he would turn up so I settled on a bench and watched the world go by  
  
I was there three hours before I heard the Phoenix pull up. I stood just in time to see him walk round the corner and my chest ached something in his expression changed it softened, he looked... pained and I lost it, I ran over and kissed him passionately. He groaned loudly and moved me against the wall. I forgot about everything just glad he was there, he was alive.  
“I'm sorry” I managed between kisses  
He ran his hands through my hair and pulled me closer I couldn't stop myself, the next moment I was wrapping my legs round his waist. He moved me to lie on the bench and I forgot where we were, what had happened between us, all that mattered was him  
“Why?” He whispered  
“For everything, for doing it all… for going behind your back….”  
He cut me off with another kiss and with ever fibre of my being I didn't want to finish my sentence I didn't want to stop  
“And for telling Dane Vogel where you would be”  
Mickey stopped and looked at me with cold eyes, I could see his thought process it had caught him so off guard that he was an open book he was furious thinking it was some kind of revenge  
“Why?” He demanded  
“He made me” I said quickly “He called me to his office, held a gun to my head”  
He sat up on the bench. I joined watching him carefully as he out into the waves before turning to me and looking me over, Taking everything in from my hair to my clothes he gently took my hand and looked at the bruises up my arms and the redness on my cheek from being pushed against the marble desk I moved my hair to the side to show the scraping and bruising a red mark the perfect diameter of the gun barrel his fingers traced my skin and then dropped away again leaving cold where his warm fingertips had once been. He gritted his teeth and stood before dialling and pacing  
“Gat... Get the others” He said  
He hung up and he came to sit on the bench again  
“I'm gonna kill him” He growled  
I slide over the bench and took his hand but he pulled it back  
“Just, please be careful” I said softly. It was too much to hope all had been forgotten  
“You don’t get to tell me what to do… Why do you care anyway?” He demanded  
“Mickey, Your still the one I love. Just because we’re not together any more doesn't mean I don’t love you” I said softly  
He noticeably winced the fact of that greeting showed he still wanted me but I knew he was still annoyed still fighting his inner darker side. He stood leaving me to watch him without looking back. There was no sound of a motor and when I finally left his car still there and the key in the ignition. I got in, started the engine and drove home.  
That was the last time I saw him up close and talked to him”

She stopped and watched me for a moment  
  
“I lost my job when my boss was killed on a boat party, most go reassigned but when the saints failed to assassinate Vogel I was informed the man taking my bosses place was keeping his old assistant and I was “Let go” but eventually Dane was killed and the saints became Ultor.I followed there raise to fame it was hard not to but I never spoke to him again. I got a job working at a legal firm proof reading and fact checking mainly but I had a knack for understanding the Saints and their leader and soon I was heading up my own team but then he was kidnapped by the syndicate. The last time I saw him from a distance was at Gat’s funeral. I know he was outside my flat that day I don’t know how he found me. But then it wasn't hard I didn't change my name or tried hard to cover my tracks hell my name was all over the paperwork our lawyers sent to legal Lee. But there he was on his own, in a purple phoenix, he watched the building but this time he simply just sat outside for a couple of hours I didn't go outside I just watched him drive off. I should have gone out. Should have talked to him...”  
She sadly sighed and lent back

“ **Have you tried to contact him since”**

She sighed again deeply and shook her head  
“No. But like I said evidence suggests he has seen me”  
I frowned

“ **What evidence”  
**  
She laughed and took out another cigarette  
“The thugs for one, the GPS in the car for another”  
I nodded and frowned a little  
“It’s a little worrying. It's like the serial killer who is obsessed with his victim…” I thought for a moment but simply said

“ **You kn** **o** **w** **he put a** **GPS** **in your car and have done nothing** **?”**

She smiled and nodded  
“I don’t trust garages to work on the car in case it’s realized who used to own it so I service it. Found it straight away I think he had planned to give me the car the night I met him at the docks. He knew I always like that car. I guess it Makes me happy to know he knows where I am. It’s also how I know those thugs are harmless”  
“So why not let them get to you”  
She looked at me harshly  
“Because if he wants to see me then he can damn well come here and see me” She said firmly  
“So your going to throw the relationship, a pretty intensely emotional relationship just because you both two stubborn to give in”  
“It would seem that way” She said coldly  
“So, come back with me. From what I've seen you don’t have much keeping you here. Come to Steelport and track him down, you still love him obviously”  
“And do what? Beg him to take me back. Get canonised so I could be with him?”  
“From what I have seen, you’re more than capable to keep the Saints off your back. If you want to be with him then go”  
She growled a feral, animistic sound that made me stop  
“And maybe I just want him to prove he still cares, that he still wants me in _his_ life”

We left it there and she silently drove to the airport. She pulled up to the very spot she picked me up from, she turned to look me over and I reached to cup her jaw. Surprisingly she let me and I lent into kiss her but She broke it off and turned to look out the window  
“You alright for flying back?” She asked  
“Yeah…. I got an open return” I said softly  
“Well, got everything you needed?”  
“Yeah.” I said  
“Good, see you”  
I got out and instantly she drove off leaving me stood by the side of the road with my bags. I couldn't help but think about her and the time we had spent together. Something made me think that I was the innocent brought into this world. I had seen some messed up things as a war reporter and they could chill your heart if you see too much of the bad and to little of the good it can close you off and make you mistrusting of the good in life but something about her was addictive to me. Had it happened to me? Had I briefly fallen for the closed off figure knowing that under the hostility and fight that there was a warm and caring women. Knowing if she showed me just a moment of kindness and acceptance I would do anything for her.  
I couldn't help but laugh softly that the idea  
“Quiet an odd one ain't she… Boss says she’s got the capacity to be just as ruthless. She just don’t know it”  
A man stepped out of the airport door next to me he was big I was only a short guy about five, seven and I was looking directly at his purple tie against his white shirt we looked at each other and he smiled…


	7. Chapter 7

**Seven**

The Dictaphone clicked off and the man closed the laptop before looked over at Dan. His eyes were a cold blue and seemed emotionless but his expression was light hearted. He reminded Dan of the warlords of the war ravaged countries but he wasn't in a bombed out house or a traditional hut. he was sitting in a cream and pine decorated unmarked private jet, surrounded by purple clad bodyguards  
“Then what happened?” He asked with a smile  
He leaned back in his chair putting his arms behind his head. It was a relaxed gesture but it also carried a threat his suede jacket opened to show a pair of pistols handing from holsters, guns didn't worry Dan but psychopaths with guns did   
“The man pulled a gun on me and walked me to the private entrance where I was searched and brought onto an unmarked private jet where my notes and Dictaphone were confiscated so a psychopath could read them all” He said flatly  
"I don't like that word.... I prefer, puckish rogue." He said with a smile "So you two got friendly while you were meeting with her?"  
"You could say that" Dan said giving his own smile "I love her tattoo on her thigh"  
The man's smile dropped and he watched Dan with a dangerous calm  
“For a man who slept with my wife, I wouldn't be so cocky” The man hissed  
Dan bit his lip and looked to the window why was he pushing the man in front of him! his mind was screaming at him to shut up but for some reason he wasn't listening  
“You don’t deserve her” He said it before he could stop and he felt his mind simply give up on reasoning _"You're on your own pal"_ It seemed to say  
The temperature in the jet plummeted as the two looked at each other and Dan knew; for the leader of the saints it would be easier to shot him than argue the situation and both of them knew it. If that happened this story would never be seen  
“I was commissioned to write this, someone is looking to find out about this. Killing me wont stop the situation” He tried trying not to sound like he was grasping at straws  
“Yes, that would be true. If I wasn't the one who paid you to write the story” He said with a cold smile  
Dan froze and watched the leader of the saints  
“Why?” He asked softly  
“She’s right. The story might come out and it would send the crew after her. Not to kill her but they would want to know who she was, but no one knows my connection to her and I want to keep it that way. I have someone who can bury every last trace of us… the only problem is her I needed to know if she would try and pull something like this. needed to know if someone came snooping if she would step forwards or if she would consider our time together... Truly over”  
The man was far more eloquent than he let on to the world. he was meant to be the thug that made it to the top the man who stumbled into a position of power and managed to stay there out of luck or stubbornness but she was right, he was intelligent in his own way playing the clown seemed to be nothing more than tactics. Something in the man's tone frustrated Dan, it had mimicked her tone perfectly. The wanting the regret about how it ended it was in his tone as well; Something broke in the reporter. He stood and started to pace the aisle shaking his head at first the bodyguards tensed but didn't move  
“This is moronic!” He spat  
Mickey stood to stop the pacing in its tracks, he had been working out since the pictures Morgan had of him. He filled the isle as he stood over him  
“Careful” He warned  
“Or what!”  
The hit wasn't unexpected but it was so hard it blocked Dan’s vision, he felt the solidness of the floor under him and he lay there blinking, waiting for his senses to realign  
“You’re lucky. I'm letting you go” He growled "But I know her. I know she'll keep tabs on your make sure I don't.. well shoot you"  
“And my equipment?” Dan asked softly as he sat up rubbing his jaw  
The bodyguard started packing up the laptop and notes as Dan silently watched feeling helpless  
“How about some compensation?” he demand  
Mickey thought for a minute and gave a grin  
“If you do something for me”  
“Do something… for you?” He snapped  
Mickey didn't do anything at first but nod  
“Yeah”  
Dan sighed audibly and counted to ten, this wasn't a request this wasn't as friendly as Mickey seemed to be trying to make it. this wasn't a request  
“Do what?” Dan asked softly  
He reached into his pocket and handed him a phone the number already keyed in

The phoenix was parked outside a block of flats it owner sitting silently in the drivers seat her mind deep in thought about the events of the last few days as she listened to the music play quietly  
“He’s right about something. I gotta get away from here”  
She was about to get out when a private number flashed on the phone  
“Hello?”  
“I forgot to get you to sign some release forms”  
“Forge it” She said coldly  
“I don’t even know your last name. The plane is going to leave soon  please. I’ll be waiting at the doors”  
She sighed harshly and hung up the phone before pulling out into traffic. She quickly drove back into the flow round the airport and parked in the multi-story car park. She could see him standing in the doorway and she could see he was alone  
Morgan moved out into the crowd and walked behind a group watching the people and staff that went about their everyday business. She checked the interior by walking in through another door and then coming out behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, the moment he looked at her she backed off. Something wasn't right his expression couldn't hide his emotions and the red mark round the eye was a rather big tell. Something was very fucking wrong  
“Fuck you” She hissed shaking her head  
She pushed past him and stepped out into the street the public road was a better choice than getting cornered in the airport. Two men where walking towards her and she was forced away from her car. She jogged out into the road narrowly missing being hit by a taxi an event that made the men in suits nervously talk into their ear pieces  
“She trying to run, taking risks, careful” She heard the radios call from behind her  
She took advantage of their nervousness and jogged for the car park jumping over the low wall and got into her Phoenix  
“Hey!” Dan called as he ran to meet her she went to close the door and he grabbed the handle forcing the door to stay open  
“What did you do?” She demanded  
“I had no choice” He said “He made me”  
She stopped her head whipping round to glare at him, her hand poised on the ignition  
“Who?” She demanded “….You know what? I can guess!”  
She kicked him in the knee and he stumbled back as she slammed the door closed just missing his head with the door. Within seconds the car was started and out of its parking space. Morgan gunned the engine and sped out into the sunlight but her run was short lived. In the road stood Mickey his arms crossed over his chest, his feet firmly planted in the road for a moment she just took him in  as he watched her. The car skid to a halt just a foot away. The two watched each other for a moment and she gunned the engine but all he did was shake her head  
Morgan reversed the car and drove again at full speed but at the last moment she swerved and he didn't move an inch. The car ran over a bin making it wedge itself into the wheel arch leaving her unable to steer. Suddenly she was going full speed into the railings. The sound of twisted metal rang through the air and the world stopped.  
For Morgan the world seemed distant, a ringing in her ears making her unable to hear the shouting as she fought with shaking hands to get out from the seatbelt, the air-bag had exploded, was that why her ears ringing? Maybe it was the head wound from the impact with the bin. She clambered out of the smashed window the door more than bent shut meaning it was her only choice. She tried to walk away trying to head for the city but her legs gave way as she sat on the grass trying to get her senses back  
“You alright miss!” Someone called  
She didn't reply just staggered to her feet the world spun a little faster and she felt her legs go her head feeling too heavy for her neck. Strong hands grabbed her and helped her sit carefully with her back against the railings. The smell of familiar aftershave filled her senses something expensive with a faint hint of leather, she didn't look up, she knew what that would lead to  
“You made me crash the car.” She managed  
“It was always your weakness, you would be home free if you just had the guts to just run me over” the words were spoken softly and with a laugh in the voice  
She stopped for a moment and shook her head trying to make the confusion clear, she knew he had to leave... why? Why did she have to leave? Didn't she want him to show he cared. showed he loved her enough to come back to her instead of sending thugs to bring her to him.  
“You know how hard it is to get blood out of the grill”  
“Yeah… I do” He whispered laughing  
“The car was broken anyway… I told you, you put too much torque in without reinforcing the sub-frame gets squirrelly under high acceleration. I was aiming for you but you messed up the steering ratio”  
She kept her view low looking into the familiar crucifix necklace. She let her eyes move up along his neck across his lips with that half smile he always seemed to have and finally looking up into his pale blue eyes and something in her melted. Months of hiding and tension built up and overflowed as she cupped his jaw there was blood on her hand and now on his cheek. Where did that come from?  
“I thought you were done with me?” She whispered  
“So did I... come on stay awake. They're getting a car”  
“Are you alright?” Someone called braking the moment  
He looked round at the taxi driver who had swerved to miss the out of control car he had parked and come to see what was going on. As he looked away she silently wished for his attention to be on her  
“I think she’s in shock” Mickey called  
“I’ll call for an ambulance”  
He turned back to her and smiled  
“That will take too long. We'll drive her”  
The two got to their feet Mickey almost carrying her as she stumbled into the car. Dan just powerlessly watched as Morgan let herself be bundled into a purple car with the most dangerous man in the city and three bodyguards

* * *

Dan put the last of his things in the box and sighed. It had been weeks since he watched them drive off. His story was never published and there hadn't been a mention of her with him in the news he had checked but he had noticed the wedding ring appearing on the leaders hand  
“Dan?”  
He broke his train of thought to look at his former boss  
“Yeah?” He sighed  
“We have to get the office turned round for its new occupant”  
“I'm just on my way” He said  
“Thought you’d be dancing. Six months ago you were hanging on by your nails and now you’re off to the top floor. Official press liaison for the saints. Big promotion”  
Dan nodded and looked at the man  
“The saints demanded I be promoted didn't they?”  
“Does it matter?” His former boss shrugged  
“Yes! I might have traded a women’s life for this job and I don’t even know if it was right or wrong”  
The man smiled and nodded  
“Congratulations. You’re now a success”  
Dan sighed and walked out passed the waiting cleaners and out the lift. He came out on the top floor. The transformation that happened on those three floors was staggering. The entire middle was open plan except for the toilets all warm ones and natural wood down to the plants and water feature. the area in the front was a collection of desks for private assistants and design desks as well as a glass encased meeting room with offices surrounding three of the four walls. He walked towards his office and stopped someone walked along behind the window. Their silhouette casting on the blinds that gave his office privacy. He stood behind the door and listened  
“It’s not like he’s expecting us”  
“Then we should have warned him”  
“Why? We own his ass”  
“You don’t own him… he works for you. He's not a saint he's like.... legal Lee. you don't own Legal Lee”  
"With the amount of work we've given him in the courts we might as well..."  
The leader of the saints or was that at the moment Mickey as he was with his wife. Was sitting at Dan’s desk with his feet up while she leant on the railing round the windows. He was in his usual purple suit with his gold watch and designer sunglasses. And she was in tight jeans and a short waisted bike jacked defiantly more casual than the man behind the desk but it suited her. She looked good. She looked free and happy. In Stilwater she seemed tense always looking around her and waiting for the next attack.  
“So you’re my new boss then?” Dan said watching the man  
“That’s right,” He said with a grin  
“So why me?” He asked coldly  
“Because you know more about me than anyone.... nearly anyone. You can work with Morgan and I don't have to worry about you telling anyone what you know 'cause if you do then you'll get your retirement payload a little early." he pulled out a pistol from his jacket and aimed it straight at Dan's head watching him through the sites. "But Morgan won’t let me shoot you without a damn good reason not just because you annoyed me”  
If this was the way he was going to treat him then Dan wasn't sure he wanted the job. But it seemed it was this job or it was that bullet. He suspected Morgan had something to do with this but he wasn't sure and he doubted he was going to let the two of them spend too much time together  
“Well… small mercy’s” Dan mused keeping his attention on Mickey  
Mickey watched him and studied his expression before putting the gun back and turned in the chair to reach out for Morgan’s hand and gave it a squeeze  
“Meet you outside?”  
She looked to Dan and silently nodded she pulled Mickey to his feet and smiled, she gave him a kiss before walking away  
“Play nice” She warned  
“I always play nice” He declared after her. He seemed different to Dan even if his opinion came from only a very short time spent together, he was his usual “Charming” Self the world had come to know and apparently love but he was. Different, he was happy  
She laughed softly and stopped beside Dan looking him over before glancing back. There was no need to say it, her look said it all  
“He always plays nice” She said with a smile and a sarcastic tone  
Dan nodded and Morgan left, the two watched her go before turning their attention to each other  
“How is it going?” Dan asked his eyes lingering on the door  
Mickey shook his head and sat back in the chair it seemed he was trying make a point as he tilted it back to the point of tipping and put his feet on the desk. When Dan did nothing the leader of the Saints and his boss put his hands behind his head  
“None of your business” He said coldly it seemed Mickey still hadn't forgiven him completely for the events that unfolded “I'm here to see if you need anything”  
“I'm gonna need a direct line to you. So, if and when you rub someone up the wrong way or… try to blow up half the city I can run damage control”  
“You’ll get it... You’ll get a budget too for clothing. I expect you to wear the colours when in public representing us nothing but planet saints clothing. And we’ll get you a gang car”  
“I don’t need a new car” He said firmly  
“If you work for the Saints you drive a saint’s car”  
Dan nodded silently if they wanted to give him a car then fine  
“Any questions?” Mickey asked  
“What is she in all of this?”  
With his dark glasses on Dan couldn't tell what he was thinking but he clenched his jaw and the frozen stance gave him a clue  
“This it something I have to lead with, someone is going to find out about this and when they do, do I run damage control but admit she is who she says she is, or do I tell them she’s some…. Reporter you were banging in a hotel room?”  
The leader of the saints stood and walked over to Dan, he stood over him for a second before raising his eyes  
“No one is to know about her. No one is to even hint that they know about her or I’ll deal with them.... and you” He said quietly “If anyone even says her name you are to tell me”  
Dan nodded and finally got to put down the box  
“She is no one to the saints” He called over his shoulder  
“And if I catch you looked at her again ….”  
“Mickey?” Morgan said from the door it seemed the women hadn't gone far and had listened to the whole thing  
Dan heard movement behind and soft talking when he turned round he saw something that settled his mind.  
The two were talking quietly and the casual onlooker would assume they were just sharing an inside joke possibly his driver or assistant together out working but she was straightening his collar. He gently ran his fingertips through her hair moving it behind her ear before tracing her jaw and smiling down at her.  
“You have to forgive him” She said with a smile  
She turned to looked at him and Mickey lent in to stand close and kiss her temple making her briefly close her eyes and loose concentration  
“He doesn't play well with others” She laughed  
“I can see” Dan said with a sigh  
“We better go” She said softly  
Dan watched the two walk out the room and he sat in his nice new office and let out a sigh. As he relaxed Morgan’s head popped round the door and she smiled  
“By the way. I figured you have about an hour before you're earning your ridiculously extortionate wage… And… for what you did?... Thank you”  
He smiled and nodded as the head disappeared. And suddenly so did his smile  
“Wait! … What did he do?!”

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this then come to my website. (EAStokes.weebly.com) and find out about my books


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